Tutorials Risa 3D

RISA-3D
Rapid Interactive Structural Analysis – 3-Dimensional
Tutorials
RISA Tech, Inc.

26632 Towne Centre Drive, Suite 210
Foothill Ranch, California 92610
(949) 951-5815
(949) 951-5848 (FAX)
risa.com
Copyright © 2018, RISA Tech, Inc. All Rights Reserved. RISA is part of the Nemetschek Group.
RISA, the RISA logo and RISA-3D are registered trademarks of RISA Tech, Inc. All other trademarks
mentioned in this publication are the property of their respective owners.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of
RISA Tech, Inc.
Every effort has been made to make this publication as complete and accurate as possible, but no
warranty of fitness is implied. The concepts, methods, and examples presented in this publication are
for illustrative and educational purposes only, and are not intended to be exhaustive or to apply to any
particular engineering problem or design. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be
suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. RISA Tech, Inc.
assumes no liability or responsibility to any person or company for direct or indirect damages resulting
from the use of any information contained herein.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................... 1
How to Use this Book ....................................................................................................1
Using the Online Help ...................................................................................................3
Technical Support Information .....................................................................................4
RISA Online...................................................................................................................4
Before You Begin ............................................................................................. 5
RISA-3D Overview .........................................................................................................5
Hardware Requirements ...............................................................................................6
Program Limits ..............................................................................................................7
License Agreement .......................................................................................................7
Installation ....................................................................................................................9
First Look at RISA-3D ...................................................................................... 10
Starting RISA-3D ..........................................................................................................10
Menus .........................................................................................................................12
Toolbars ......................................................................................................................13
Tutorial 1 – Modeling ..................................................................................... 18
Create a New Model ...................................................................................................20
Members .....................................................................................................................26
Material Properties .....................................................................................................37
Design Rules – Size / UC ..............................................................................................38
Boundary Conditions...................................................................................................51
Tutorial 2 – Modify ........................................................................................ 55
Modify Members ........................................................................................................65
Drawing Wall Panels and Additional Framing.............................................................70
Drawing Plates ............................................................................................................80
Sub-meshing Plates .....................................................................................................81
Tutorial 3 – Loading ....................................................................................... 93
Area Loads...................................................................................................................95
Surface Loads ..............................................................................................................99
Distributed Loads ......................................................................................................100
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Table of Contents
Self-weight ................................................................................................................105
Load Categories.........................................................................................................105
Load Combinations ...................................................................................................106
Tutorial 4 – Solving & Results ....................................................................... 115
Solving the Model .....................................................................................................116
Graphic Results .........................................................................................................118
Batch Solution ...........................................................................................................125
Envelope Solution .....................................................................................................127
Optimizing Member Sizes .........................................................................................128
Tutorial 5 – Dynamic Analysis ....................................................................... 133
Dynamic Solution ......................................................................................................134
Frequencies and Mode Shapes .................................................................................135
Response Spectra Analysis ........................................................................................136
Tutorial 6 – Interoperability ......................................................................... 141
RISA-Revit Structure Link ..........................................................................................141
CIS/2 Translator ........................................................................................................143
RISA-3D & CAD ..........................................................................................................144
Conclusion .................................................................................................................146
Appendix A – RISA-3D Toolbar Buttons ........................................................ 147
RISA Toolbar ..............................................................................................................147
Window Toolbar .......................................................................................................149
Drawing Toolbar........................................................................................................153
Selection Toolbar ......................................................................................................155
iv
Introduction
Introduction
How to Use this Book
Welcome to the RISA-3D User’s Guide. If you are a first-time user of RISA-3D, we recommend that you
start with this book. This book contains step-by-step tutorials that guide you through the entire
modeling process using most RISA-3D features. You will create a real-world example of a building and
solving a model, making changes, and optimizing the model. Several tips and shortcuts will also be
demonstrated along the way.
Begin by reviewing First Look at RISA-3D on page 10 to familiarize yourself with the toolbars and
shortcuts, then proceed to the step-by-step tutorials.
To complete all the tutorials will take only a few hours. However, you can speed up the process even
further if you skip the supporting text and concentrate only on the action steps, which are indicated
with diamond-shaped bullets, as shown below:
In order for you to achieve accurate results, it is important that you do not miss any of these
action steps while performing the tutorials.
The tutorials build upon themselves from start to finish. You have the option of performing them all at
one time, or performing each one separately. To make this possible, RISA provides model files for you to
load at the beginning of each tutorial. These starter files are located in the RISA program folder under
Tutorials, and are named Tutorial 2 Starter.r3d, Tutorial 3 Starter.r3d, etc.
After you have gone through the tutorials in the this User’s Guide, you can use Help menu and the RISA-
3D General Reference Manual for complete, detailed information on every topic relating to RISA-3D. The
topics are arranged in alphabetical order and are thoroughly indexed.
If you are a more experienced user and are not sure which book will be most helpful to your situation,
consider that the tutorials in this User’s Guide are intended to teach the basics of defining and solving
models in RISA-3D, how and when to apply RISA-3D features to help you be most productive, and how
to review the results. However, the more in-depth analytical aspects of RISA-3D will be covered in RISA-
3D General Reference Manual and the Help menu. For example, various material (hot rolled steel, wood,
concrete) code checks will be performed in this Guide, but the specifics of how those code checks are
calculated is covered in detail in the Help menu and the RISA-3D General Reference Manual (specifically
the sections titled Hot Rolled Steel Design, Wood Design, and Concrete Design).
Where to Download RISA-3D Book Updates

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this book at the time of publication. The latest
edition of all books and documents relating to this product are available in Adobe PDF format at
http://www.risa.com. Click Downloads, Product Documentation, then RISA-3D.
1
Introduction
Document Conventions
The following conventions are used throughout this book:
This convention: Indicates:
CAPITAL LETTERS Names of keys on the keyboard – for example, SHIFT, CTRL, or ALT.
KEY+KEY One key should be held down and then another key pressed – for
example, CTRL+P or ALT+F4.
Italic text New terms, other publications, and variable expressions – for example,
filename.txt.
Bold text User interface options – for example, File menu.
Boxed text Notes or modeling tip information.
Tutorial action item for building the model.
2
Introduction
Using the Online Help

Whether you need help on general topics, specific features, or toolbars, it is all built in to the extensive
RISA-3D online Help system. The RISA-3D Help menu was designed to enable you to pinpoint the Help
information you need quickly, by offering different ways for you to access and locate that Help, as
described below:
Help on On the RISA Toolbar, click the Help button . This is the fastest way to get
general topics help on general topics. You can also go to the Main menu and click Help, then
select Help Topics.
Once you enter the Help, notice the three tabs on the left: Contents, Index, and
Search. You can explore the Help by topic using either Contents or Index, or
explore the Help using your own specific keywords using Search.
Help on a specific As you work, notice the Help buttons at the bottom of many of the dialog boxes.
feature (context- These provide direct access to the Help information related to the task you are
sensitive help) performing.
This context-sensitive help may be accessed by pressing the Help button on the
dialog box or by pressing the F1 key.
Help on toolbar Are you uncertain what a toolbar button is for? Simply hold your mouse pointer
buttons over that button (without clicking), and a description of that button will be
displayed.
3
Introduction
Technical Support Information

Technical support is an integral part of the software packages offered by RISA, and is available to all
registered licensees at no additional charge. Our knowledgeable support team is ready to answer your
most challenging questions.
Before contacting technical support, you may want to take a few minutes to do the following:
• Search the Help and all user documentation available for the product.
• Search our FAQ database by visiting our website at http://www.risa.com. Click Education,
then Frequently Asked Questions, then choose the product.
When you are ready to make a support request, please be prepared to send us your model, and include
the following information:
• Your name, company name, and phone number;
• Product name and serial number or Key ID;
• A detailed problem description; and
• Your model (filename.r3d) as an e-mail attachment. If your model contains multiple
members, plates, or load combinations, please specify which ones we should look at.
You can contact Technical Support by e-mail or phone as follows:
E-mail: support@risa.com
E-mail is usually the best way to communicate with us when sending a model. Please include all the
information listed above.
Phone: (949) 951-5815 or (800) 332-RISA (7472)
Technical support personnel are available from 6:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, Monday
through Friday.
RISA Online
Visit RISA online at http://www.risa.com for:
• Answers to frequently asked questions.
• Downloads of user documentation and tutorials.
• Software updates – Any known problems are posted on the website, along with possible
work-around procedures and/or service releases to update your software.
• Software verification problems.
4
Before You Begin
Before You Begin

RISA-3D Overview
RISA-3D was designed to accelerate the time it takes to perform structural design. Computer-aided
structural design is typically a three step process: (1) define your model, (2) solve the model to obtain
solution results, then (3) review those solution results to see how the model performed and determine if
changes are needed. Usually, this cycle must be repeated several times before arriving at a final,
optimized design.
One main reason RISA-3D is able to speed up the design process so successfully is because of its unique
ability to define the model and make revisions both graphically (using the drawing tools) and
numerically (using the customized spreadsheets).
In RISA-3D, these two methods of entering and editing data work seamlessly together. Everything
designed or drawn graphically is automatically recorded in the spreadsheets (which may be viewed and
edited at any time)—and everything entered in the spreadsheets may be viewed and edited graphically
at any time. As you perform the step-by-step tutorials in this guide, you will be exploring both methods
using the drawing tools and the spreadsheets.
Modeling Tips
Keep in mind that almost all the model data can be edited either graphically (using the drawing tools) or
numerically (using the spreadsheets). In most cases, it is simply a matter of preference as to which
method you decide to use. Here are a few tips to consider when making your decision:
Some data such as cross-section properties, load combinations, oddball joint coordinates, etc., are most
easily entered numerically using a spreadsheet. Other data such as regularly spaced joints, member
connectivity, regular loadings, and wholesale changes are better handled using graphic editing tools.
Typically you may want to use the spreadsheets to define some preliminary information such as material
and section properties, then proceed to the drawing grid and graphically draw the bulk of your model
and apply loads.
Other graphic editing features are built around RISA-3D’s graphic selection tools. These features let you
graphically edit the model or parts of it. For example, to modify boundary conditions, you would choose
the condition you want to apply and select the joints to modify.
Solving the Model and Tips for Reviewing Results

Once you have the model defined, continue by solving the model. RISA-3D features fast 32-bit solution
speed, so your model solutions should not take long. Once the model is solved you will be presented
with the results.
Once again, you can review your results graphically or with the spreadsheets. Spreadsheet solution
results (displacements, forces, stresses, etc.) are listed on the Results menu. You can sort and filter
these results to find exactly what you want. In the graphic views, click Model Display Options and
choose the results that you want to display (force diagrams, plate contours, deflected shapes, etc.).
5
Before You Begin
Hardware Requirements
Operating System
Subscription License
One of the following operating systems is required:
• Microsoft Windows 10 (64 bit only)
• Microsoft Windows 8.1 (64 bit only)
• Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 (64 bit only)
Perpetual License (Standalone / Network)
One of the following operating systems is required:
• Microsoft Windows 10 (32 bit or 64 bit)
• Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32 bit or 64 bit)
• Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 (32 bit or 64 bit)
Hardware
The following hardware is required:
• 1 GHz or faster processor
• 1024x768 or higher monitor resolution
• 2 (or more) button mouse, mouse wheel recommended
• 1 GB of RAM for 32 bit computers 8 GB for 64 bit computers
• 4 GB of hard disk space
Hardware Limitations
• The 32 bit version of RISA-3D cannot address more than 2 GB of memory on a 32-bit operating
system, or 4 GB of memory on a 64-bit operating system. This limitation affects how large of a
model can be solved.
• RISA-3D is not a multithreaded application, which means that it runs entirely within a single
processor core. Therefore the program does not take full advantage of multi-core or multi-
processor machines. This limitation affects how long it takes to solve a model.
6
Before You Begin
Program Limits
32-Bit 64-Bit
Joints 100,000 500,000
Members 32,000 100,000
Plates 100,000 250,000
Shapes 50,000 100,000
Wall Panels 5,000 10,000
Openings/Regions (per Wall Panel) 25/100 25/100
Solids 100,000 250,000
Section Sets 5,000 10,000
Loads (All Types Combined) 300,000 300,000
Materials 500 500
Custom Wood Species 500 500
Diaphragms 500 500
Basic Load Cases 1,000 1,000
Moving Loads 500 500
Time History Functions NA 500
Load Combinations 5,000 5,000
Mode Shapes 2,000 2,000
Time History Load Functions 500 500
Demonstration Version: While you can open and solve a larger model, the largest model that can be
saved to disk with the demo version is limited to 40 Joints, 40 Members, 40 Plates, and 4 Wall Panels.
Also, the Demonstration Version will automatically shut down if left open for 24 continuous hours.
License Agreement
END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR RISA TECH, INC. SOFTWARE
The RISA-3D software product (SOFTWARE PRODUCT) includes computer software, the associated
media, any printed materials, and any electronic documentation. By installing, copying, accessing or
otherwise using the SOFTWARE PRODUCT, you agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. If you
do not agree with the terms of this agreement RISA Tech, Inc. is unwilling to license the SOFTWARE
PRODUCT to you. In such event, you must delete any installations and destroy any copies of the
SOFTWARE PRODUCT and return the SOFTWARE PRODUCT to RISA Tech, Inc. within 60 days of purchase
for a full refund.
Copyright © 2018 by RISA Tech, Inc. All rights reserved. RISA is part of the Nemetschek Group. The
SOFTWARE PRODUCT is protected by United States copyright laws and various international treaties. All
rights not specifically granted under this agreement are reserved by RISA Tech, Inc. “RISA” as applied to
structural engineering software is a registered trademark of RISA Tech, Inc.
1. SOFTWARE LICENSE. The SOFTWARE PRODUCT is licensed, not sold. All right, title and interest is and
7
Before You Begin
remains vested in RISA Tech, Inc. You may not rent, lease, or lend the SOFTWARE PRODUCT. You are
specifically granted a license to the use of this program on no more than one CPU at any given time. The
Network Version of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT is licensed for simultaneous use on a certain maximum
number of network stations that varies on a per license basis. The Subscription Version of the
SOFTWARE PRODUCT is licensed for simultaneous use on a certain maximum number of CPU’s that
varies on a per license basis. As part of the license to use the SOFTWARE PRODUCT, the program user
acknowledges the reading, understanding and acceptance of all terms of this agreement. The
SOFTWARE PRODUCT may not be reviewed, compared or evaluated in any manner in any publication
without expressed written consent of RISA Tech, Inc. You may not disassemble, decompile, reverse
engineer or modify in any way the SOFTWARE PRODUCT. If the SOFTWARE PRODUCT was purchased at
a discounted price for educational purposes it may in no event be used for professional design purposes.
The terms of this license agreement are binding in perpetuity.
2. DISCLAIMER. We intend that the information contained in the SOFTWARE PRODUCT be accurate and
reliable, but it is entirely the responsibility of the program user to verify the accuracy and applicability of
any results obtained from the SOFTWARE PRODUCT. The SOFTWARE PRODUCT is intended for use by
professional engineers and architects who possess an understanding of structural mechanics. In no
event will RISA Tech, Inc. or its officers be liable to anyone for any damages, including any lost profits,
lost savings or lost data. In no event will RISA Tech, Inc. or its officers be liable for incidental, special,
punitive or consequential damages or professional malpractice arising out of or in connection with the
usage of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT, even if RISA Tech, Inc. or its officers have been advised of or should
be aware of the possibility of such damages. RISA Tech, Inc.’s entire liability shall be limited to the
purchase price or subscription price of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT.
3. LIMITED WARRANTY. RISA Tech, Inc. warrants that the SOFTWARE PRODUCT will operate but does
not warrant that the SOFTWARE PRODUCT will operate error free or without interruption. RISA Tech,
Inc.’s sole obligation and your exclusive remedy under this warranty will be to receive software support
from RISA Tech, Inc. via telephone, email or fax. RISA Tech, Inc. shall only be obligated to provide
support for the most recent version of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT. If your version of the SOFTWARE
PRODUCT is not the most recent version RISA Tech, Inc. shall have no obligation to provide support in
any form. Except as stated above the SOFTWARE PRODUCT is provided without warranty, express or
implied, including without limitation the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a
particular purpose.
4. PROTECTION DEVICE. In the event the SOFTWARE PRODUCT requires the use of a PROTECTION
DEVICE to operate, you are specifically prohibited from attempting to bypass the functionality of the
PROTECTION DEVICE by any means. A lost or stolen PROTECTION DEVICE will not be replaced by RISA
Tech, Inc.
5. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE. In the event the SOFTWARE PRODUCT is accessed via a SUBSCRIPTION
SERVICE, RISA Tech, Inc. shall make the SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE available for your use via an internet
connection for the Term of the Subscription Agreement. At the end of the Term of the Subscription
Agreement your right to access the SOFTWARE PRODUCT via the SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE will terminate
unless the Subscription Agreement is renewed. RISA Tech, Inc. does not guarantee the SUBSCRIPTION
SERVICE will be available error-free or uninterrupted. You acknowledge RISA Tech, Inc. does not control
the transfer of information over the internet and that the SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE may be subject to
interruptions or delays beyond the control of RISA Tech, Inc. RISA Tech, Inc. is not responsible for any
delivery failures or any other damages resulting from any problems with the SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE.
8
Before You Begin
6. TERMINATION. RISA Tech, Inc. may terminate your right to use the SOFTWARE PRODUCT if you fail to
comply with the terms and conditions of this agreement. In such event, you must delete any
installations and destroy any copies of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT and promptly return the SOFTWARE
PRODUCT to RISA Tech, Inc.
7. CHOICE OF LAW. By entering into this Agreement in accordance with Paragraph 1, above, you have
agreed to the exclusive jurisdiction of the State and Federal courts of Orange County, California, USA for
resolution of any dispute you have relating to the SOFTWARE PRODUCT or related goods and services
provided by RISA Tech, Inc. All disputes therefore shall be resolved in accordance with the laws of the
State of California, USA and all parties to this Agreement expressly agree to exclusive jurisdiction of, and
venue in, the courts in Orange County, California, USA. No choice of law rules of any jurisdiction apply.
8. PRIVACY POLICY. All information you provide and have provided, or which we otherwise collect and
have collected, through or in connection with the SOFTWARE PRODUCT, including personally identifiable
information about you, is subject to, and will be treated in accordance with, the then-current Privacy
Policy located at http://risa.com/privacy, which is incorporated herein by this reference. By accessing,
downloading, installing, using and providing information to or through the SOFTWARE PRODUCT, you
consent to all actions taken by us with respect to such information in compliance with the Privacy Policy.
Installation
Installation Instructions
To install RISA-3D, please follow these instructions:
• Contact RISA licensing department (license@risa.com) for a program installation link.
• Click on the link from the email that they will send you.
• Follow the on-screen instructions.
RISA-3D Customization--Important Assumption!

Please ensure that when performing these tutorials, RISA-3D has not been customized in any way, and is
in the default, installed state. If the installation of RISA-3D has been customized, you may reset the
program defaults as follows: on the Tools menu, select Application Settings, click the Reset
Customization Options to Their Original Settings button.
9
First Look at RISA-3D

Starting RISA-3D
This section describes the RISA-3D user interface, the toolbars, and shortcuts. We recommend that you
review this section before you begin the tutorials. However, if you are already familiar with the RISA-3D
user interface, feel free to skip ahead to Tutorial 1 on page 18.
Start RISA-3D as follows:
On the Start button, click All Programs, select RISA, then select RISA-3D.
The RISA-3D Windows and Dialog Boxes
Title Bar Main Menu RISA Toolbar Minimize Maximize/Restore Close
Status Bar Workspace Data Entry Toolbar
10
Title bar The title bar at the top of your RISA-3D window can be very useful. Besides containing the
name of the file that is currently open, it can also be used to move the window and
minimize, maximize, and resize the window.
To move the window, press and hold the title bar with your mouse, then drag to the
desired location.
Minimize, The three buttons on the right of the title bar control the RISA-3D window as follows:
Maximize,
• Click Minimize to minimize the window to a button on the taskbar.
Close
• Click Maximize to maximize the window to full screen. Once it is full
screen, click Restore Down to restore the window to its original size.
• Click Close to close the window.
Workspace The actual work that you do in RISA-3D will be in the main area on the screen, the
workspace. Currently the workspace contains a white model view with the default
drawing grid and the Starting a Model options (you will see how to change the default
grid and many other defaults as you go through the tutorials). As you create new model
views and spreadsheets, they will also appear in the workspace.
Status bar The Status bar at the bottom of your screen will report information about your model as
you work in RISA-3D. The bar has four parts:
• The left side of the bar has the letters “S”, “D”, and “R” to indicate the solved
state of the model for Static, Dynamic, and Response Spectra solutions. If the
letters are dimmed, a solution has not been performed. After performing a
solution, the letters will become blue in color with a red checkmark on them
(as shown below).
To the right of the solved status flags are three status boxes which display information
while you work:
• The first status box displays general information relative to the task you are
performing.
• The second (middle) status box reports the units of the current spreadsheet
cell. As you move from cell to cell, look to the middle status box for the
appropriate units. This box is empty if you are not working in a spreadsheet.
• The third status box (on the far right) reports the cursor coordinates as you
work in the model view. This will be demonstrated throughout the tutorial.
Dialog Dialog boxes are windows that help you perform a specific function within RISA-3D. For
boxes example, on the File menu, click Open and the dialog box will display which helps you
locate the file you would like to open. Many of the dialog boxes also contain Help buttons
that will direct you to the related topic in Help.
11
Menus
Main Menu
The Main menu and its submenus provide access to all features RISA-3D has to offer, as summarized
below:
File Provides access to file operations such as opening, saving, importing, exporting,
and appending files.
Edit Provides editing tools that help you modify and manipulate the spreadsheets.
You may use this menu to add or remove information from the spreadsheets or
to sort and mathematically manipulate current spreadsheet data.
Settings Allows you to set options that apply to the entire model such as design codes,
shear deformation and warping effects, p-delta options, model descriptions, and
notes.
Units Allows you to set units or convert existing units.
View Allows you to open a new model view or adjust the current model view.
Insert Used to insert joints, members, plates, and loads into the model. All of these
items may be drawn graphically or entered in the spreadsheets. This menu
provides access to the graphical methods while the Spreadsheets menu provides
access to the spreadsheets.
Modify Allows access to the graphic editing features and may be used to modify existing
joints, members, plates, and loads.
Spreadsheets Opens the spreadsheets.
Solve Allows access to the analysis options provided with RISA-3D.
Results Allows access to all analysis result spreadsheets. This button is dimmed when no
results are available, such as before you run a solution.
Tools Provides tools to help you organize, identify, and correct problems as you model
the structure. Application Settings are also located here.
Window Manages all of the windows that you have open in RISA-3D, whether they are
spreadsheets or model views. Special tiling options are also available that relate
to specific modeling tasks.
Help Allows access to the RISA-3D online Help. For more information on this, see the
Using the Online Help section of the Help menu. If you are connected to the
internet, you may also check to see if any product updates are available.
Director If your RISA-3D model is linked to a RISAFloor, RISAFoundation, or
RISAConnection model, this menu allows you to switch between programs.
12
Toolbars
The most commonly used features available on the Main menu are also available on the toolbars as
toolbar buttons. The toolbars are designed to speed up your workflow by placing these tools close to
your workspace and making them easily visible.
If at any time you are not sure what a particular toolbar button does, simply position your mouse over
the button and a short definition will display.
Note: You will discover many options to access the features available in RISA-3D. The methods you
choose—whether menus, toolbars, or keyboard shortcuts—will simply be a matter of personal
preference.
RISA Toolbar
The RISA toolbar is located directly below the Main menu. Unlike some of the other toolbars, the RISA
toolbar never changes. These buttons perform general actions such as opening and closing files,
changing design parameters, printing, and solving the model.
Window Toolbar
…in Model View
The window toolbar is located directly below the RISA toolbar. When working in a graphic model view,
the buttons provide model viewing tools, such as rotate and zoom, and others.
…in Spreadsheet View
When you are working in a spreadsheet, this toolbar provides spreadsheet editing tools, such as Block
Fill and Block Math.
Drawing Toolbar
The drawing toolbar provides tools to assist with creating and modifying your model graphically. This
toolbar may be turned on and off (CTRL+G) as needed.
13
Selection Toolbar
…only visible in Model View
The Selection toolbar is the vertical toolbar along the left side of the screen.
It provides selection tools to help you work with parts of the model.
You will need to make selections when you do things like graphically edit only
part of the model or print only part of the results.
Spreadsheet Toolbars
(Data Entry and Results Toolbars)
These two toolbars provide quick access to the spreadsheets. You can
turn them on and off on the RISA toolbar by clicking the Data Entry
button or the Results button .
The Data Entry toolbar is a vertical toolbar on the right of your
screen. It looks different than the other toolbars because its
buttons consist of text instead of images.
The Results toolbar is very similar. It appears after the model has been
solved and provides quick access to the results spreadsheets.
Both toolbars allow you to access the spreadsheets very quickly while
building and solving your model. The buttons appear in the general
order as you may need them.
The Data Entry toolbar has the option to show Loads buttons. You can
toggle this on or off in the Tools\Application Settings on the General
tab. There is a checkbox for Show the Data Entry toolbar Loads
buttons? to make this change.
14
Managing Windows
As you work in RISA-3D, you will be working within model views and spreadsheets, each in their own
window that may be moved around the workspace and resized as you wish. A powerful feature of RISA-
3D is the ability to have multiple model views and spreadsheets open at one time. The Window menu
provides many options to help manage the display of these windows.
Minimize,
Maximize, and
Close buttons
Scroll
arrows &
scroll bar
Scroll bar – to view information

outside of the window’s viewable
area, drag the scroll bar to move the
display.
15
Managing Model Views

You may open as many model view windows as you like. This is especially helpful when working zoomed
in on large models. You might have one overall view and a few views zoomed in and rotated to where
you are currently working. You may have different information plotted in each view.
Remember that the toolbars displayed by RISA-3D vary depending on which window is active (the
window with a colored title bar is the active window).
For example, if your active window is a spreadsheet, and you are looking for the zoom toolbar, you will
not be able to locate it until you click on your model, switching to model view. Then you will be able to
access the zooming tools, and all the other tools related to modeling.
16
Working in Spreadsheets
Spreadsheets provide a means to enter and edit model data numerically. Spreadsheets are comprised of
rows and columns of cells. To add or edit data in a cell, click on the cell, making it the active cell, then
type. There is always only one active cell at a time, and is indicated with green color. Notice you can
change which cell is active using the LEFT ARROW, RIGHT ARROW, PAGE UP, PAGE DOWN, HOME keys,
etc.
You may also select blocks of cells to work on. To select a block of cells, click and hold the mouse button
in the first cell in the block, drag to the last cell in the block, then release the mouse. To select an entire
row or column, simply click the row or column label. To select multiple rows or columns, click and drag
the mouse across multiple row or column buttons.
Column label –
Scroll arrows Active cell
To select the entire column, click the label.
To resize the column, click the line to the right of the
label and drag to the right.
Scroll bar
Row of cells –
Click the row label
(at left) to select the
entire row.
Column of cells
17
Tutorial 1 - Modeling
Tutorial 1 – Modeling
This is the first tutorial in this series designed to guide you through the entire modeling process using
many RISA-3D features. The tutorials are intended to simulate the “real world” design process. Just as in
the real world, you will enter the data, solve the model, review results, then go back and make changes,
etc. We believe the real test of any solutions software is in the design modification—not just the initial
design. See for yourself how easily you can design and change your model using RISA-3D.
In the tutorials ahead, you will be modeling this structure:
As you perform the step-by-step tutorials, you will make use of both the spreadsheet and graphic
drawing capabilities of RISA-3D. In Tutorial 1, you will create a 2-D frame. In Tutorial 2, you will
“extrude” this into a 3D model, and add additional members. Tutorial 3 will show how to define loading.
In Tutorial 4, you will run a static solution and review the results. Tutorial 5 will demonstrate dynamic
analysis and seismic design. Then, Tutorial 6 will explore the various options for interoperability of RISA-
3D with other programs such as other RISA programs, Revit Structure, and CAD programs.
The tutorials build upon themselves from start to finish. You have the option of performing them all at
one time, or performing each one separately. To make this possible, RISA provides model files for you to
load at the beginning of each tutorial. These starter files are located in the RISA program folder – Model
Files under Tutorials, and are named Tutorial 2 Starter.r3d, Tutorial 3 Starter.r3d, etc.
To complete all the tutorials will take only a few hours. However, you can speed up the process even
further if you skip the supporting text and concentrate only on the action steps, which are indicated
with diamond-shaped bullets, as shown here:
In order for you to achieve accurate results, it is important that you do not miss any of these
action steps while performing the tutorials.
18
Now, if you are ready to get started, start RISA-3D if you have not already done so:
Double-click the RISA-3D icon to start the program. The Starting a Model dialog box will display,
which allows you to create a new model or open an existing file.
Note: The appearance of your menus and toolbars may look slightly different than the above image,
depending on your computer screen resolution and font sizes.
Starting a Model Options

The Starting a Model dialog box presents you with several startup options, along with a blank drawing
grid placed in the workspace. You can choose to start drawing your model (by defining members, plates,
or using a template to generate it automatically), open an existing model, or work on your own (by
clicking Close ).
Automatically Generating with Templates

RISA-3D has powerful templates that automate the generation of structures. Although these templates
are not used in the tutorials, we believe that once you understand how to model structures without the
templates, you will easily understand the benefit of the templates for your future modeling projects,
making RISA-3D even more powerful.
These templates can be accessed as follows:
On the Insert menu, click Structure (Generate).
-OR-
On the RISA toolbar, click the Perform High Level Generation button .
Some of the templates are very specific, such as the Rectangular Tank with Stiffeners or the General
Truss Generator. Some are general, such as the Circular Disk With Plates. Using these templates, you
can generate almost any typical or repetitive model or model component.
19
Create a New Model

You will now begin to model your structure by first creating a 2D frame, defining your Model Settings,
your Drawing Grid, and be introduced to some basic graphical modeling.
In the Starting a Model dialog, under Create a New Model, make sure the Open the (Global)
Model Settings window also check box is selected. This will save you a step by opening the
Model Settings dialog box once you make your starting selection.
Select Click here to immediately start drawing members .

The (Global) Model Settings dialog box should now display.
Tip:
Press TAB to advance to the
next field.
Type any notes you would like

to keep with the model in the
Notes area.
(Global) Model Settings are

settings that apply to the
model as a whole.
Set (Global) Model Settings

Set the Model Settings as follows:
Type the Model Title, Company name, and your name, as shown above.
Click Apply. The dialog box will remain open.
Review and modify the Solution parameters:
Click the Solution tab.
In the Number of Sections box, type 7 (or you may use the up/down arrows to
increase/decrease the value). Make sure the the INTERNAL Sections selection is set to 100.
Click Apply.
20
The dialog box will remain open, and should now look like this:
Below is a description of all the available Solution parameters:

Number of Sections Specify how many locations along each member are to be used for the
reporting of forces, stresses, and deflections.
Internal Sections Controls how many places along each member RISA-3D calculates and
stores results, such as deflections and code checks. The member force
diagrams displayed in the model view and the detail plot are also drawn
from these results.
Shear Deformation This check box indicates whether or not shear deformation considerations
are to be included in the model solution.
Torsional Warping This check box indicates whether or not torsional warping effects are
considered when calculating stiffness and stress values for wide flange and
channel shapes.
Area Load Mesh Controls how the load is broken down for attribution to the members.
Wall Panels Mesh Size Controls the base mesh size to be used when wall panel elements are
solved.
Include P-Delta for This checkbox indicates whether or not to include P-Delta analysis for wall
Walls panels. If this box is checked, the P-Delta analysis will only be performed on
load combinations which include P-Delta.
21
Transfer Load Between This check box indicates whether or not to transfer loads between
Intersecting Wood Wall perpendicular wall panels framing into each other.
Increase Nailing This checkbox indicates if you want to increase the shear capacity of wood
Capacity for Wind wall panels and diaphragms by 1.4 for all load combinations that contain
wind loads.
Wall Optimization Indicates whether or not you want to itearate the solution for wood and
Design masonry wall panels.
Wall Optimization Defines the number of automatic iterations for wall panel optimization.
Iterations
Vertical Axis Indicates which of the three global axes (X, Y or Z) is to be considered the
vertical axis.
Plate Local Axis Indicates whether plate local axes will be considered global or nodal.
Advanced Button Access more advanced Model Settings options.
Review the options for the Code parameters:

Click the Codes tab.
For this tutorial, the default settings will be used.
22
These settings control how code checking is performed, as described below:

HR Steel Controls the code selection for Hot Rolled member design. If the AISC 360 code is
selected, the Adjust Stiffness menu will appear. The options in this menu control the
stiffness reduction provisions per App. 7 of the code.
Connections Controls the code selection for connection design if using the integration between
RISA-3D and RISAConnection.
CF Steel Controls the code selection for Cold Formed member design. If the AISI S100-16 code
is selected, the Adjust Stiffness menu will appear. The options in this menu control
the stiffness reduction provisions of the code.
Concrete Controls the code selection for Concrete member design.
Wood Controls the code selection for Wood member design. The Temperature is used to
calculate the temperature factor (Ct) used in the design of wood members.
Masonry Controls the code selection for Masonry member design.
Aluminum Controls the code selection for Aluminum member design. The Building and Bridge
options refer to the safety factors that are used in the model. If the AA ADM1-15/10
code is selected, the Adjust Stiffness menu will appear. The options in this menu
control the stiffness reduction provisions of the code.
Stainless Controls the code selection for Stainless steel member design.
Review and modify the options for the Concrete parameters:

Click the Concrete tab.
Under Concrete Stress Options, click Parabolic Stress Block. This method is the more accurate
of the two methods.
Click Apply.
23
Save as Defaults –
At any time during the
modeling process, you can
click this button to save all the
settings to become the new
default settings for all future
models.
Click the Help button to open

the Help Menu to the relavent
topic.
These settings contain options related to the analysis and design of concrete members as described
below:
Shear Tie Allows you to control the number of Shear Regions that will be used when
detailing a beam or column span. It also allows you to specify an Increment
when increasing or reducing the spacing of the shear ties.
Biaxial Column Controls which method will be used to determine the biaxial column capacity:
Design the Exact Integration Method is more accurate than the PCA Load Contour
Method and does not require you to make an estimate of the Parme Beta
Factor.
Concrete Stress Allows you to choose what type of stress block to consider in your analysis. The
Options options are the constant Rectangular Stress Block and the Parabolic Stress
Block. Since the Parabolic Block is more accurate, you will select this stress
distribution for your design.
Concrete Rebar Specify the grade of rebar you wish to use. You can also specify a Minimum %
Set Steel and Maximum % Steel for column reinforcement.
Concrete check Used Cracked Sections - modifies the member stiffnesses by the Icr factor. For
boxes more information, refer to RISA-3D General Reference.
Bad Framing Warnings - helps you detect modeling errors during solution. It
produces a message in the error log whenever an unsupported member is
detected at either of its end joints (can be common for models that contain
cantilevers, rafters, etc.)
Unused Force Warnings - produces messages on the member detail report when
weak axis and torsional moments have been neglected.
Minimum 1 Bar Dia Spacing - allows a minimum spacing of one bar diameter
24
between parallel bars. Otherwise, RISA-3D will default to a two bar diameter or
one inch clear spacing, whichever is greater, to allow for lap splices and continue
to maintain adequate spacing between parallel bars.
Review and modify the options for the Seismic parameters:

Click the Seismic tab.
For this tutorial, the default settings will be used.
This tab contains options that are

specifically related to the
calculation of code-prescribed
seismic loading and seismic
detailing checks.
This information can be used to
generate the lateral loading on
your structure if you choose to
use the Seismic Load Generator.
You will not use this feature in
this tutorial, however you may
access the Help menu for more
information on this feature.
You may now close the Model Settings dialog box.

Click OK to exit.
25
Members
Once you close the Model Settings dialog box, the Draw Members dialog box will display:
Before drawing the members, first define the material type to be used: Hot Rolled, Cold Formed, Wood,
Concrete, Aluminum, or General. Once the materials are stored in RISA-3D, the spreadsheets and
solution results will be sorted based on that material. When performing a solution, RISA-3D will only
analyze and/or design members for load combinations that are appropriate for that material (this will be
discussed in more detail in Tutorial 3 – Loading).
Define concrete as the material type for your new members you will be creating:
Under Member Material Type and Shape, click Concrete.
Next, you need to decide how you want to define the cross-sectional properties of the member. You can
assign a shape directly, or define your properties based on section sets.
For now, start with a 20X20 column, and assign your concrete shapes directly. (Later you will use Section
Sets for your wood truss and steel members.)
Click Assign Shape Directly.
This bypasses the Section Sets and allows you to assign an explicit shape for these new members:
Under Start Shape, type: CRECT20X20.
Under Type, select Column.
Under Material, select Conc4000NW.
26
The dialog box should now look like this:
The Release Codes selection

designates how each
member is considered
connected at its end joints.
Tip:
Use Release Codes to specify
how members are attached
to one another. Later, you’ll
explore using Boundary
Conditions to specify how the
structure is attached to its
external points of support
(reactions).
You may now begin drawing columns.

Click Apply to begin drawing columns.
Note: When you enter the drawing mode, your cursor changes to . Also, on the Drawing toolbar,
notice the Draw New Members button is pressed in .
Drawing Grid
Before you begin drawing, notice that RISA-3D will always open a default 30x30 grid spaced at one foot.
To make it easier to find your column and beam locations for this tutorial, redefine the grid as follows:
On the Drawing toolbar, click the Modify Drawing Grid button to redefine the grid. The
Drawing Grid tab should already be selected.
The drawing grid may be specified in plane or in either elevation. For this model, leave the drawing grid
in the XY plane, and change the grid settings as follows:
Under Rectangular Grid Increments, in the first column under X Axis, highlight and delete any
current data and type: 3,4@3.75,3 (including the commas).
In the first column under Y Axis, highlight and delete any current data and type: 10,8.5,4
(including the commas).
27
The dialog should now look like this:
Close the Drawing Grids dialog box and the Data Entry toolbar.
Click OK to close the dialog box.
Click Close to close the Data Entry toolbar (upper right corner of your workspace).
28
Drawing Members
As you move your cursor around the drawing grid (specifically over grid intersections), notice RISA-3D
displays the coordinate location of the cursor in the lower right corner of the Status bar.
Coordinates of the current grid

Status bar
intersection location of the mouse
The coordinates displayed on the Status bar are the coordinates of the grid point or joint location closest
to the cursor. Notice the coordinates change as you move the mouse around. Also, when you are in the
drawing mode (as you are now), the points are highlighted by a red asterisk any time the tip of your
mouse approaches the point.
Note: The cursor provides additional information regarding the cursor coordinates. As you move your
cursor around on your screen, a box adjacent to your cursor will appear and populate with the
coordinates of the cursor.
As you continue the tutorial,

ensure that you draw the
members in the specified
location by watching the
Status bar to verify the exact
coordinate location.
Grid Locations:
Point A (0,0,0)
Point B (0,18.5,0)
Start by drawing a line from point A to point B, as shown in the image above:
Place the cursor on the lower left corner of the grid to create point A (coordinates 0,0,0) and
click once. (Notice a joint has been created and labeled N1.)
Next, move the mouse straight up to point B (coordinates 0,18.5,0) and click again. (Another
joint has been created and labeled N2.)
Note: After drawing a beam, your cursor remains linked until you either draw another beam or
terminate drawing. To terminate drawing beams, right-click the mouse or press ESC.
29
When finished drawing the line, press the right mouse button to release the mouse.
To release the mouse:

Press the right mouse
button or ESC when done
drawing.
To undo any mistakes:

Press the Undo button
or CTRL+Z.
Grid locations:
Point A (21,0,0)
Point B (21,18.5,0)
Draw another line from point A to point B, as shown in the image above:
To create point A, place the cursor on the lower right corner of the grid (coordinates 21,0,0) and
click once. (The new joint has been created and labeled N3.)
Next, move the mouse straight up to point B (coordinates 21,18.5,0) and click again. (The new
joint has been created and labeled N4.)
When finished drawing the line, press the right mouse button to release the mouse. Click the
right mouse button a second time to exit the drawing mode.
30
Now you should have a column on the left, extending from joint N1 to joint N2, and another on the
right, from joint N3 to N4.
Before drawing the truss, take a moment to change the way that members are shown and color-code
them by their section sets.
On the Window toolbar, click Model Display Options .

The Model Display Options will be discussed in more detail later. For now, just change the color coding:
In the dialog box, click the Members tab.
Click Color Coded. Under Color Basis, select Section Set. Under Labeling, select No Labeling.
Click OK to close the dialog box and return to the plot.
31
The members should now be displayed in color and a legend is now displayed in the upper right corner
of the workspace (underneath where the Data Entry toolbar was). Notice that the description appears in
the legend as “na” because the Section Sets have not yet been defined.
Now that the columns are defined, move ahead to the truss members. To resume drawing:
On the Drawing toolbar, click the Draw New Members button .

You will now define your truss members as you would with a section set. This allows you to group
similar members for easier modeling and modifying. Because you have not yet defined any section sets,
you will first place the members in the sets as you build the model, then define the properties (section
sets) later.
Under Member Material Type and Shape, select Hot Rolled.
Then click Assign a Section Set to assign a section set for your new members. (The available
options for Hot Rolled Steel will appear.)
32
Click Apply to return to the model view and resume drawing.
Grid Locations:
Point A (0,18.5,0)
Point B (21,18.5,0)
Point C (18,22.5,0)
Point D (3,22.5,0)
33
Draw the truss chord, as shown on the image above:

Draw members from points A to B, then B to C, then C to D, and lastly from D to A.
Click the right mouse button or ESC to release the mouse.
Click the right mouse button or ESC again to exit the drawing mode.
Next, you will draw the web members using the HR1 section set again. Later, you will modify this to
differentiate the web members from the truss chords using separate section sets.
Click the right mouse button (from anywhere in your workspace) to activate the shortcut menu.
Press the right

mouse button to
activate the
Shortcut menu.
The Shortcut menu displays options available that relate to the tasks you are performing. These options
are specific to your current view. For example, if you were viewing a spreadsheet, the choices would be
relevant to spreadsheets.
Select Recall Last Dialog to display the Draw Members dialog box again.
Under Release Codes, click Pinned at Both Ends.
34
The dialog box now looks like this:
Exit the dialog box:

Click Apply.
Draw the web members, as shown below:
Grid Locations:
Point A (3,22.5,0)
Point B (3,18.5,0)
Point C (6.75,22.5,0)
Point D (6.75,18.5,0)
Point E (10.5,22.5,0)
Point F (10.5,18.5,0)
Draw members from points A to B, B to C, C to D, D to E, then lastly from E to F.

Click the right mouse button or press ESC to release the mouse.
35
Choose a new starting point for the next series of members.
Grid Locations:
Point A (18,22.5,0)
Point B (18,18.5,0)
Point C (14.25,22.5,0)
Point D (14.25,18.5,0)
Point E (10.5,22.5,0)
Draw the next series of members, as shown above.

Draw members from points A to B, B to C, C to D, then lastly from D to E.
The image should now look like this:
36
Physical Members
Notice that you have defined your truss chords with one member, rather than multiple members
between each joint. RISA-3D’s Physical Member feature allows you to quickly draw in members this way,
rather than making you draw every member as split between nodes.
Physical Members automatically connect the members and nodes that frame into them along their
midspan. Therefore, you do not have to use multiple members to model what is one Physical Member in
the field. Then, if you later have to make changes to your model, you do not have to apply changes to
multiple smaller members. Most important, the results values for this continous member will not be
spread out over multiple members, making it difficult to find design values, it will instead be presented
as that of only one member.
Material Properties
The material properties are defined in the Materials spreadsheet. This spreadsheet contains default
material properties that are common for design in the United States. However, you can always edit or
add to this spreadsheet at any time if you use different properties.
Re-open the Data Entry toolbar you closed earlier:
On the RISA toolbar, click the Spreadsheet Shortcuts (Data Entry) button to display the Data
Entry toolbar.
On the Data Entry toolbar, click Materials.
The Materials spreadsheet will display.
Notice the tabs contain the

various material types.
Click to review the
information under each tab:
Hot Rolled, Cold Formed, etc.
Click on any cell. Notice the Status
bar (bottom of the screen) gives an
explanation of the current column.
Review each of the different material tabs and the default program values. For this tutorial, we
will use the default values, so do not make any changes.
Note: The United States default material values are built in to RISA-3D. However, you can create new
default values for your future models by adding those materials into any spreadsheet and, on the
Window toolbar, clicking Save as Defaults .
For example, if you are working on a Canadian job with a steel that conforms to the G40.21
specification, you can add that material and save it for use on future models. On the Window toolbar,
click Save as Defaults . Any new models will start with this steel material automatically.
37
Design Rules – Size / UC

In an effort to optimize hot rolled, cold formed, wood, concrete, and aluminum members, RISA-3D will
suggest a lighter, more efficient shape for each of the members according to the Design Rules applied to
the members. When suggesting an alternate shape, RISA-3D will only consider shapes that are included
in the designated Design List. The Design List is a set of members that will be used in the design and
optimization of a member. You may edit the default redesign lists at any time to create custom lists of
your own. These lists are contained in RISA\Redesign_Lists and you may open/edit them in a text
formatting program, such as Notepad.
For example, a Section Set could be defined with the Wide Flange Design List. This list references the
redesign list which contains the US list of wide flange sections from the AISC Manual of Steel
Construction. In this case, RISA-3D will never suggest that a channel or H-pile would be a more efficient
shape. For information about editing the existing Design Lists or creating your own custom Design Lists,
refer to RISA-3D General Reference.
Next, designate specific sections you would like redesigned by RISA-3D using the optimization
parameters set in the Design Rules spreadsheet.
On the Data Entry toolbar, select Member Design Rules.
The Member Design Rules spreadsheet will display:
38
Enter the following data in row 1:

In row 1, under Label, type Col-Rules. (Press the TAB key two times.)
Under Min Depth, type 14. (Press the TAB key two times.)
Under Min Width, type 14.
Press ENTER.
Enter the following data in row 2 (continue pressing the TAB key to advance between columns):
In row 2, under Label, type Steel-Bms.
Under Min Depth, type 12.
Press ENTER.
In row 3, under Label, type Conc-Bms.
Under Min Depth, type 12.
Press ENTER.
In row 4, under Label, type Truss Rules.
Under Max Depth, type 6.
Under Min Depth, type 3.5.
Under Max Width, type 6.
Press ENTER.
In row 5, under Label, type Glulam.
Under Max Depth, type 14.
This spreadsheet should look like this:
Notice there are several parameters available to control the suggested alternate shapes. You can define
acceptable member depth and width ranges, and also code check ranges.
39
Design Rules – Concrete Rebar

In addition to controlling the size of your concrete members, RISA-3D also allows you to control the type
of reinforcement and cover to be used.
Click on the Concrete Rebar tab.
This spreadsheet controls the size and placement of the flexural and shear reinforcement used in the
design of your concrete beams and columns. You can either manually enter the values or use the
Member Design Rules Editor to set up your rebar rules. We will use the Editor.
Change the minimum bar size for Col-Rules:
In the Col-Rules row click the first cell to highlight the label. Click a second time on the red
arrow.
This will open the Rebar tab of the Member Design Rules Editor, as shown below.
Change Member Type to Column.
Check to confirm that Min Vert Bars entry is set to a #6 bar. Click OK.
Change the maximum bar size for Conc-Bms:

In the Conc-Bms row click the first cell to highlight the label. Click a second time on the red
arrow.
Change Member Type to Beam.
40
Change the Max Flex Bars entry to a #9 bar. Click OK.
When finished, your spreadsheet should look like this:
Note: Although rules for concrete rebar are given for each Design Rule row, these rebar entries will be
ignored if they are applied to anything other than concrete members.
Section Sets Spreadsheet

RISA-3D starts you off with one default Section Set for each basic material type. To differentiate
between the new members being created, you will create new Section Sets for each as you go along,
using the Section Sets spreadsheet. While in this spreadsheet, you will also define the section properties
for the members you have defined so far.
Open the Section Sets spreadsheet.
On the Data Entry toolbar, click Section Sets.
The Section Sets spreadsheet should look like this:
41
Section sets provide an easy way to manage members that are repetitive. This will become even more
apparent when you have RISA-3D choose optimized member sizes.
So far, your truss has only nine web members. But, what if you had three trusses and were required to
change the section (as you will do in Tutorial 2). Changing 27 member properties one at a time could
take some time. By defining Section Sets, you will be able to globally change the truss web member
properties by changing only one section on the spreadsheet.
Hot Rolled Sections and Database

You currently have one Section Set for each material type. Next, you will add some Section Sets and
change the labels so that they are more useful. The active cell (denoted by green color) should contain
the text HR1. You used that section to draw in the truss members.
Give the section a more descriptive label:
In the row labeled 1, under the Label column, type Chord.
Next, change the material:
Click the cell under the Material column. Click the cell a second time to display the available hot
rolled materials (these come directly from the default entries in the Hot Rolled tab in the
Materials spreadsheet). Select A36 Gr. 36 for the beam material as shown below:
Notice that the Section Set data consists of a number of entries. The Shape column entry indicates the
current size that will be used for the member. The Design List and Design Rules entries define the list of
shapes to be used and the design restrictions to impose when redesigning and/or optimizing the
member. For more information on customizing design lists, refer to Appendix A in RISA-3D General
Reference.
Modify the Design Rules:
Click the cell under the Design Rules column. Click the cell a second time to reveal the list of
available options. Select Truss Rules.
The Type column entry indicates whether the member is a beam, column, or brace. This is especially
important for the design of concrete sections. Finally, the A, Iyy, Izz, and J columns list the area,
moments of inertia, and torsional constant for the current shape.
By default the current shape is a W10x33. Since this is not realistic for your steel truss, you will want to
change it. If you know what shape you want to use, you may type it in directly. Or, if you are not sure,
you may open the database and review the full list of available shapes.
42
Define the Hot Rolled shape:

Click the first cell under the Shape column.
The spreadsheet should look like this:
Open the Hot Rolled shape database:
Click the red arrow on the right to open the Hot Rolled tab in the Shape Selection database.
The Hot Rolled tab Shape Selection database looks like this:
You may want to review the Shape Type and Database/Manufacturer settings for future reference.
The left side of the dialog box contains a list of available shapes. The selected shape is currently
W10x33. Change the shape selection:
Select Double Angle as your Shape Type.
Notice that the list of available shapes populates now with all the available double angle sections.
Select LL6x6x12x3 from the list and click OK to return to the spreadsheet.
On the Section Sets spreadsheet, notice that LL6x6x12x3 is now in the Shape column. Press the
TAB key to advance to the next cell and update the geometric properties (A, Iyy, Izz, J).
Click in the Design List cell of the first row. Chose Double Angle (3/8 Gap) from the menu.
43
Now add two more section sets for the truss web members and the steel beam:
Click ENTER to create a new line.
In the row labeled 2, under the Label column, type Web.
Note: Clicking ENTER creates a new line with all entries (except the Label) identical to that of the line
above it. Because of this, it is not neccessary for you to modify the Material and Design Rule entries for
your second row in this spreadsheet.
Change the shape selection:
Click in the Shape cell in the second row and click the red arrow to open the Hot Rolled tab in
the Shape Selection database.
Select Single Angle as your Shape Type.
Select L4x4x4 from the list and click OK to return to the spreadsheet.
Click in the Design List cell of the second row. Chose Single Angle from the menu.
Last, enter in your steel beam:
Click ENTER to create a new line.
In the row labeled 3, under the Label column, type Beam.
Change the shape selection:
Click in the Shape cell in the third row and click the red arrow to open the Hot Rolled tab in the
Shape Selection database.
Select WF as your Shape Type.
Select W24X131 and click OK to return to the Section Sets spreadsheet.
Click in the Design List cell of the third row. Chose Wide Flange from the menu.
Click in the Material cell of the third row. Choose A992.
Lastly, click in the Design Rules cell of the third row and select Steel-Bms.
When you are finished, the spreadsheet should look like this:
44
Cold Formed Sections and Database

Now, you will add in your Cold Formed Section Set. Open the Cold Formed tab:
Click the Cold Formed tab.
Under Label, type Girt to make the label more informative.
Your screen should now look like this:
Once again, select your shape from the shape selection database.
Click the first cell under the Shape column.
Click the red arrow on the right to open the Cold Formed tab of the Shape Selection database.
The Cold Formed tab is very similar to the Hot Rolled tab, and looks like this:
45
Review and modify the shape settings:

Under Shape Type, select CS.
Change the Database/Manufacturer to AISI 2007.
Under the list of available shapes (on the left), select 12CS3.5x105.
Click OK to return to the Section Sets spreadsheet.

To ensure that when performing member redesign and/or optimization, RISA-3D will suggest a new CS
from the appropriate list of shapes and modify the design list as follows.
Note: When selecting cells in a spreadsheet, you may click directly in the cell or press the TAB to
advance from cell to cell.
On the Section Sets spreadsheet, click in the cell under the Design List column, making this the
active cell. Click the cell a second time to display the available design lists.
Select CS.
Next, modify the Design Rules:
Click in the cell under the Design Rules column two times to display the available design lists.
Select Steel-Bms.
When finished, your spreadsheet should look like this:
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Wood Sections and Database

Moving now to wood, define the section used for the glulam beams.
Click the Wood tab.
Under Label, in row 1, type Glulam.
Change the Material to 24F-1.8E DF Balanced.
Change the Design List to Glulam_Western.
Change the Design Rules to Glulam.
The spread sheet should now look like this:
Next, enter in your member size:

Click in the Shape cell. Click the red arrow to open the Wood tab of the Shape Selection
database.
Select Enter the Size and select Rectangular.
Type in 7.25 X 16, as shown in the image below:
Now you can return to the Section Sets spreadsheet:

Click OK.
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Concrete Sections
Open the Concrete tab:
Click the Concrete tab.
Because you initially defined your concrete member using Assign Shape Directly (rather than using
section sets), you will not need to define any members using the section sets listed under the Concrete
tab. Take a minute to review the information listed under the Concrete tab. It is similar to the
information in the other tabs for steel and wood.
Multiple Windows
At this point, you should have a model view and three spreadsheets open and visible on your screen.
Notice the “active window” is denoted by a colored title bar (in this case, the Concrete Section Sets
spreadsheet). The title bars of the other inactive windows are dimmed. The windows are tiled in the
order that you opened them. You can return to any of the windows by clicking anywhere on them,
preferably on the title bars, so you do not accidentally click a button or a grid point.
To move a window, press and hold the title bar with your mouse, then drag to the desired location.
48
You can also access the open windows and dialog boxes through the Window menu. This menu allows
you access to windows that may be hidden from view.
Click on the Window menu from the Main menu.
The Window menu looks like this:
The Window menu presents some

window arrangement and tiling
options.
The open windows are listed in the order they

were opened. You can select any of the open
windows to make it active.
The active window is denoted by

a check mark.
Change the active window to model view:

On the Window menu, select 1 Model View.
The model view becomes the active window and moves to the front of the other windows. The
spreadsheets are still open beneath the model view window, but not currently visible.
You can also recall open windows the same way you originally opened them (by selecting from a menu
or clicking a toolbar button). For example, to make the currently open Section Sets spreadsheet become
the active window so you can work on it:
On the Data Entry toolbar, click Section Sets to open the Section Sets spreadsheet.
Close the active window:
Click Close or press CTRL+F4 to close the Section Sets spreadsheet.
Now, the model view should be your active window. Notice that RISA-3D resumes where you left off for
all open windows.
Open the Draw Members dialog box and prepare to draw the crossbeam:
Press CTRL+D to recall the Draw Members dialog box.
Under Member Material Type and Shape, click Concrete.
Bypass the section sets and assign this shape directly:
Under Member Material Type and Shape, click Assign Shape Directly. Under Start Shape, type
CRECT24x20. In the Type list, click Beam.
In the Material list, select Conc4000NW.
Under Release Codes, click Fully Fixed at Both Ends.
49
The Draw Members dialog box should now look like this:
Exit the dialog box and return to the model view.

Click Apply.
Draw the cross beam:
Draw members from point A to point B using the grid locations shown below.
Grid Locations:
Point A (0,10,0)
Point B (21,10,0)
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Your image should now look like this:
Boundary Conditions
Boundary conditions define how the model is constrained. All models must be attached to some
external point(s) of support otherwise the program will produce an error message telling you that your
model is unstable.
Prepare to add boundary conditions:
On the Drawing toolbar, click Boundary Conditions .
The following dialog box will display:
Boundary conditions can be applied

to any joint. There are six degrees
of freedom for each joint;
therefore, there are six releases
provided; one for each direction.
51
Review the options for assigning boundary conditions. Each option is described below:
In the X Translation list, click the down arrow to see the available boundary condition options.
Free No restraint.
Reaction Specifies full restraint for the indicated direction. No movement will be
allowed in the indicated direction for this joint. A reaction force will be
calculated and reported.
Fixed Also specifies full restraint for the joint in the indicated direction; however, no
reaction force is calculated. This setting actually removes the degree of
freedom from the solution. If you are not interested in reactions, using this
option will result in a slightly smaller model.
Spring This option models a spring attached to the joint in the indicated direction and
must be accompanied by a spring stiffness. The units for the spring stiffness
depend upon whether the spring is translational or rotational and are
displayed next to the edit box.
For example, to specify a spring of stiffness 100 kips per inch, select Spring
from the list and type 100 in the adjacent box.
Compression This option models a compression-only spring and must be accompanied by a

Spring spring stiffness. This type of spring will only resist compression (negative
displacement); if a tension force (positive displacement) is applied to it, it will
release and provide no resistance.
Tension This option models a tension-only spring and must be accompanied by a spring
Spring stiffness. This type of spring will only resist tension (positive displacements); if
a compression force (negative displacement) is applied to it, it will release and
provide no resistance.
Slave This option “slaves” the degree of freedom of one joint to another that you
specify.
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Next, specify pin supports at the base of your columns. For this tutorial, the X, Y, and Z translations will
be restrained, but the three rotations will be unrestrained. This is a common boundary condition that is
built in to RISA-3D, and can be applied as shown below:
Click the Pinned button and the boundary condition settings described above will be completed
for you.
The dialog box now looks like this:
The Use? check boxes must be selected

for a modification to be applied. This
allows you to change a condition for
just one of the parameters, instead of
requiring all six to match.
Finish your selections and close the dialog box:

Under What happens when Apply is pressed?, select Apply Entries by Clicking/Boxing Joints.
Click Apply.
Note: Your cursor will change to , indicating you are ready to apply the boundary condition when
you click on any joint.
Apply the boundary condition to the base of both columns at joints N1 and N3.
Click joint N1 and then on joint N3.
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Now that you are finished adding the boundary conditions, your model should look like this:
Review how the boundary condition data you just entered graphically was recorded on the Boundary
Conditions spreadsheet:
From the Spreadsheets menu, select Boundary Conditions to open the spreadsheet.
RISA-3D allows you to edit existing boundary conditions here, or add new ones. To add a new boundary
condition, simply type directly on the spreadsheet (you can type just the first letter such as “R” for
reaction, then press ENTER). Or, you can click on the red arrow to view the available options.
This is the end of Tutorial 1. The next tutorial demonstrates how to make modifications to the model.
You may save your model to be used as the starting point for the next tutorial, or begin the next tutorial
using the .r3d starter file in the RISA-3D Tutorials folder. To save the model:
On the File menu, click Save As and enter a file name. Note that it will have an .r3d extension.
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Tutorial 2 - Modify
Tutorial 2 – Modify
In this tutorial, you will modify the 2D frame you defined in Tutorial 1 and use RISA-3D’s graphic editing
features to expand it into a complete 3D frame. This tutorial continues where the previous tutorial
ended, so follow these steps to get your model up and running:
If you are continuing from the previous tutorial:
From the Window menu, select Single View.
On the Window toolbar, click the Graphic Editing Toolbar button to activate the Drawing
toolbar.
On the Data Entry toolbar, click Close to close it.
Skip ahead to the next page.
-OR- If you are starting here from scratch, follow the steps below to load the starter file provided by
RISA Tech:
Double-click the RISA-3D icon to start the program.
Click Open Model .
Double-click the Tutorials folder, select Tutorial 2 Starter.r3d and click Open.
Click Close (or Cancel) to exit the Model Settings dialog box.
toolbar.
Your screen should look like this:
To get started, you will modify the end conditions at the tops of the columns. Notice that the web
members of the truss are pinned at the ends (indicated by the circle at the end of each member). All
other members are fixed at the end. You will modify the column top ends so that they are pinned as
well.
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Tutorial 2 - Modify
Modifying an Item
RISA-3D provides a quick and easy way to view and edit properties of any item in the model. You may
simply double-click any joint, member, or plate to view and edit all of the information for that item.
Double-click the left column (anywhere between N1 and N2) to open the following dialog box:
Modify the end releases for the first column:

Click the End Releases tab.
Under J End Release Codes, click Bending Moment Released (Torsion Fixed).
Click OK to close the dialog box and return to the model view.
Next, double click the column on the right to define the end releases for that column:
Double-click the right column (anywhere between N3 and N4).
Click the End Releases tab.
Under J End Release Codes, click Bending Moment Released (Torsion Fixed).
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Tutorial 2 - Modify
Your model should look like this:
The open circles

at the top of each
column represent
pinned end
releases.
Note: If you do not see the open circles at

the top of each column, click the
You can make modifications to any I End-J End button a few times to make
joint, member, or plate by simply sure the I-J end flags are on.
double-clicking on it.
Before proceeding, inspect one of the joints as well:

Double-click the bottom left joint (N1) to review the information.
Click Cancel to close the dialog box without making any changes.
Note: This method of reviewing and editing model information is sufficient when modifying one or two
items in your model. However, to modify several members at once, it is easier and more efficient to use
the graphical selection and editing tools, described next.
Editing the Model View

This section explains how to modify the model view using the graphical selection and editing tools. Since
you are currently working in a model view the Window toolbar will look like this:
The first button on the left is the Model Display Options button (used earlier to color the members).
This will be explained in more detail later.
Rotating the Model
The Rotate buttons are used to rotate the model counter-clockwise or clockwise
about the global axes. The Snap View buttons are used to “snap” the view to the
default isometric view, or the XY, XZ, or YZ Plan view, respectively.
Click some of the Rotate and Snap View buttons (shown above) and experiment with rotating
and snapping the plot to different views.
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Tutorial 2 - Modify
As you click the Rotate and Snap View buttons, notice the direction the plot is rotating. It may help to
reference the global axes icon at the top left corner of your model that looks like this:
When you are finished experimenting, place the model in an isometric view:
Click Isometric .
Zooming the Model
The Zoom buttons are used to zoom the model view in and out. The first two Zoom In
and Zoom Out of the model as a whole. The third, Box Zoom , allows you to zoom in on a
specific area of interest. Try the box zoom now:
Click the Box Zoom button , then box any area in your model by pressing and dragging your
mouse. Release the mouse.
Return to your normal model view:
Click Redraw to redraw the full model view.
Panning
If your mouse has a wheel, you will be able to use RISA-3D’s panning feature. Simply press down on the
wheel anywhere on your model, then move the mouse to the desired location. RISA-3D “grabs” the
model at the current location and “moves” the model to the new location.
Try the panning feature, then zoom in and out:
Position your mouse anywhere on your model. Press down on the mouse wheel and drag to the
left. Your model should move to the new location.
Zoom in and out by rolling the mouse wheel up and down.
Return to your normal view:
Click Redraw to redraw the full model view.
Drawing with the Graphic Editing Toolbar

The Graphic Editing Toolbar button is used to toggle the Drawing toolbar on and off in the current
model view.
Click the Graphic Editing Toolbar button two times. Notice the Drawing toolbar will toggle
off and on again.
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Tutorial 2 - Modify
Saving Views
If you create a customized view that you think you may use again, you can save it for future recall using
the Save or Recall View button . (It may even be a good idea to use this feature whenever you
create a view that takes some time.) Simply click the Save or Recall View button and assign a name
to the saved view. All of the Model Display Options will be recorded and saved for later recall.
Load Viewing Operations

Load viewing functionality is provided to help you display and switch the loads. This will be discussed in
more detail after your loads are defined.
Remaining Viewing Buttons

The remaining toolbar buttons control identifying information in the new view. Click each item a few
times to turn the viewing buttons on and off.
Customizing the Window Toolbar

All the viewing buttons described above are the defaults of RISA-3D. However, once you become more
familiar with RISA-3D, you may decide to add or remove buttons to customize the Window toolbar to
make it more useful for your modeling needs.
On the Tools menu, select Customize Toolbar.
The Customize Toolbar dialog box looks like this:
Note: Please use care not to customize any of the Window toolbar buttons at this time. For the tutorials
to be performed accurately, it is imperative that the Window toolbar remain in its default state.
Click Close without making any changes to the toolbar.
Close the cloned view:
Press Ctrl-F4 to close the cloned view and return to the original view.
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Tutorial 2 - Modify
Model Display Options

The Model Display Options dialog box allows you to control the information displayed on your plot.
On the Window toolbar, click the Model Display Options button .

Notice the tabs separating the various types of information.
Click the Members tab.
Under Draw Members As, click each option (Wireframe, Color Coded, and Rendered) one at a
time. Notice the dimming of available options changes depending on your selections.
Because the model has not

been solved, everything under
Member Results is dimmed
and unavailable.
OK – Apply changes and close the dialog

box.
Cancel – Cancel changes and close the
dialog box.
Apply – Apply changes and leave the
dialog open.
Help – Open the Help Menu for this dialog
box.
Next, define the Model Display Options for your model:

Under Draw Members As, click Color Coded. Under Color Basis, select Section Set. Under
Labeling, select No Labeling.
Click Apply to apply the changes and leave the dialog box open.
Finish by exploring the options on the other tabs, reviewing the many available options. Be sure to click
the Misc tab. You may make any of these options your default for future plots by pressing the button at
the bottom, Make the Current Plot Settings the Default.
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Tutorial 2 - Modify
Multiple Views
Previously, you saw that you could have more than one view using the clone feature. With the clone
feature, each view is independent and can be rotated, rendered, selected, etc., without affecting other
views. Now you will open a New Model View which simply opens a new model view in the default view,
such as you see when you first open the file.
On the RISA toolbar, click New Model View and you will be presented with a new model
view its the original state (as if you just opened the file). In other words, no rendering or view
changes will be shown. Feel free to use the buttons on the Window toolbar. You will see that
you can adjust this view without affecting your original view.
The importance of multiple views cannot be stressed enough. If you do not want to change your existing
view, but need to view the other side of the model, simply open a new window to view the other side.
You can have a different drawing grid open in each view. For example, you can draw beams on one grid
in one view and columns in another.
As you move between each view, RISA-3D will even keep track of any modeling/model modifications in
the new view and update the other views. For example, you might be drawing new beam members in
one view, new columns in another view, and plates in a third view and these modeling changes are
made in all views. Only the view state (selection state, plot options, etc.) is kept separate for each new
view. Any modeling changes are considered global and are made to all views.
Click Close to close the second view.
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Tutorial 2 - Modify
Selection Tools
Selection tools are necessary to identify and isolate specific parts of the model.
Note: Currently, your cursor looks like this , indicating you are in the default selection mode. While in
this mode, click any item to select or unselect it.
Selected items appear in Color Fill view. Unselected items appear as grey wireframe lines. Next,
compare the two.
Currently, all your model elements are selected. Unselect the crossbeam:
Click the crossbeam (between N15 and N16) to unselect it. The color fill beam will become light
grey in color, denoting that it is now unselected.
Your model should now look like this:
The crossbeam is
now unselected.
Making Selections One at a Time

Experiment with selecting and unselecting members and joint locations, and viewing information on
them.
Click a few of the lines to see how the members can be unselected, and then again to select
them.
Click a joint location to select/unselect the joint.
Double click on a member to open the Information dialog box. Click Close or Cancel.
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Tutorial 2 - Modify
Using the Selection Toolbar to Make Selections

Rather than clicking to select one item at a time, you may use RISA-3D’s Selection toolbar to help
you quickly achieve any selection you want.
The Selection toolbar is the vertical toolbar along the left side of the screen.
It provides selection tools to help you work with parts of the model. The toolbar is visible when
your model is the active window (it will not be visible when working on a spreadsheet).
Experiment with making selections using the selection tools. Feel free to try all of them as you
cannot affect the model solely by selecting items.
Note: When using the select and unselect tools, the cursor will remain in that selection tool
mode so that you can make multiple selections. To terminate the chosen selection mode, click
the right mouse button.
The selection tools are described below:
Select All and Unselect All

Select/unselect the entire model.
Box Select and Box Unselect

Draw a box around the part to be selected/unselected. Only items that are entirely in the
box will be affected.
Polygon Select and Polygon Unselect

Draw a polygon around the part to be selected/unselected (double click to end). When
you have finished drawing the polygon, double click to complete the selection.
Line Select and Line Unselect
Draw a line through all items to be selected or unselected. Simply click the mouse to
begin drawing the line, drag to draw the line, then release the mouse to complete the
selection. This tool is ideal for selecting the columns or web members in a truss.
Invert Selected
Used to invert, or reverse, the selected state of the model. All selected items are made
unselected, and all unselected items are made selected. This can be very useful when just
a few items are to be selected in a large model; just click to unselect the items, then click
Invert Selected to invert (or “flip”) the selection.
Criteria Selection
Allows you to use other criteria to make your selections. Using the Select Items for
Current View dialog box, you can: (1) Select items between defined coordinates; (2)
Select items using their labels, such as all joints from N7 to N15; (3) Select members by
defining multiple types of criteria such as orientation, section set, database shape, and
material; and (4) Select plates by defining material, thickness, and orientation.
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Tutorial 2 - Modify
Save/Recall Selection
Save or recall selection states of the model. If the model is altered after a selection state
has been saved, the saved selection state will also be altered. After saving a selection
state, any new items (joints, members, etc.) will be set to “selected.”
To save a selection state, click Save and provide a name for the saved selection. You can
have up to 16 different saved selections in a model. To retrieve a saved selection, choose
the selection state from the list and click Retrieve. To delete a saved selection, choose
the selection state from the list and click Delete.
Lock Unselected (unlocked) and (locked)
Lock all currently unselected parts of the model. When Lock Unselected is pressed, this
selection tool changes to . When locked, all unselected parts of the model will remain
unselected and invisible--no matter what other selection buttons are pressed.
To turn the lock off, press Lock Unselected a second time (returning it to the unlocked
position ).
This is useful to isolate one part of the model from the rest. For example, if you are
designing one particular floor in a multi-story building, and you need to select and
unselect different parts of that floor, lock the part of the model you do not want affected.
Specifically: click Unselect All to unselect the entire model; click Box Select to select the
floor; then press Lock Unselected (the button will change to ). The rest of the model
will now remain unselected until you press again to unlock it.
When you are finished experimenting with the selection tools:
Ensure that the Lock Unselected button is unlocked.

Now that you have explored the various selection tools, use them to modify the model.
Making Changes to Selections

Unselect the entire model and change the viewing plane:
On the Selection toolbar, click Unselect All to unselect the entire model.
On the Window toolbar, click the XY Plan button to change the model view to an XY
elevation. Then click Redraw to maximize the viewing plane.
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Tutorial 2 - Modify
Make some selections using the Line Select button:
Click the Line Select button . Your cursor will change to , indicating that you are now in
the line selection mode.
Draw a line through the truss web members, as shown below. Click your mouse to begin
drawing the line near the leftmost truss web member, and drag past the rightmost web
member, then release the mouse.
Notice the section set for all

of your web members is listed
as Chord. This is because you
only had one Hot Rolled
section set available to you
when you first drew your
truss.
All of the truss web members should now be selected. You could now easily modify those selected
members, as you will do in the next section.
Modify Members
In this section, you will use the Modify tools to assign truss web members.
On the Drawing toolbar, click Draw New Members .

Select the Modify Properties tab.
Note: Each section of the dialog box contains a Use? check box. Selecting any of these Use? check boxes
determines whether or not the parameter will be applied.
This dialog box looks similar to the Draw Members dialog box because, after the members are drawn,
this dialog box allows you to change any of those initial parameters.
Under Member Material Type and Shape, click Hot Rolled.
Click Assign a Section Set, and select Web.
At the top of the Member Material Type and Shape section, select the Use? check box. Once
selected, the text will turn red.
Under What Happens when Apply is pressed? click Apply Entries to All Selected Members.
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Tutorial 2 - Modify
Apply the changes and close the dialog box:

Click Apply.
Modify the section set for all of the selected members:
On the Selection toolbar, click Select All to select the entire model.
On the Window toolbar, click Isometric to display an isometric view of the entire structure.
Your model should now look like this:
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Tutorial 2 - Modify
Model Rendering
A powerful graphics tool in RISA-3D is the ability to display a rendered image of the model. A rendered
image shows each member plotted using a true scale representation of the shape assigned to the
member.
A rendered view offers some important benefits: besides producing a very detailed image, it also allows
you to easily review member orientations and member connectivity. There are also rendering options
(within the Members tab of the Model Display Options dialog box) that allow you to adjust pullback
length and rendering transparency.
Turn on the model rendering:
On the Window toolbar, click Rendering .
Copying Model Elements

RISA-3D allows you to copy selected portions of the model. You will use this feature to turn your two-
dimensional model into a three-bay structure.
On the Drawing toolbar, click Linear Offset Copy to open the Copy Selected Items dialog
box. This feature is used to copy the currently selected portion of the model (in increments) in
any or all three of the global directions.
Notice there are several fields used to specify increments in the X, Y, and Z directions. Use the “@”
symbol to specify multiple equal increments. For this tutorial, replicate your model in the Z direction.
Select the Copy by Increment option.
Type 2@15 in the Z inc cell.
Click Apply.
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Tutorial 2 - Modify
Because your entire frame was selected, all of the frames will be copied. If you had any loads on the
frames, they would have also been copied. Your structure should look like this:
Next you will add a masonry wall panel to the back side of your structure. But before you draw the wall
panel, delete the concrete columns from this side of the structure:
On the Window toolbar, click Redraw to view the entire model.
On the Selection toolbar, click Un-Select All .

Now that the entire model is unselected, use the Selection Criteria tool to select just the back three
columns.
On the Selection toolbar, click the Criteria Selection button . Click the Coordinates tab.
Under Coordinate Bounds, in the X Coordinate box, type 0 in both the Minimum and Maximum
columns.
Near the bottom of the Coordinate Selection Criteria section, click to clear the Select/Unselect
Joints check box so that joints on the columns will not be selected.
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Tutorial 2 - Modify
Your dialog window should look like this:
Close the dialog box and return to the model view.

Click OK.
Notice that just the back three columns are selected:
Now, delete these columns.

On the Drawing toolbar, click Delete to open the Delete Items dialog box.
Click Delete Based on This Criteria, then select the Delete Selected Members check box.
Click Apply.
Notice that the three columns have now been deleted.
Click Select All to select the entire model once again.
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Drawing Wall Panels and Additional Framing

Now, draw in the wall panel:
On the Drawing toolbar, click Draw New Wall Panels .

Select Masonry as the Material.
Click Apply to draw in the wall panel using the default values.
Note: Your cursor will now change to , indicating you are ready to draw your wall panel.
To make it easier to draw, change the member display back to wireframe:
Click the Rendering button on the Window toolbar once.

Begin drawing the wall panel:
Click each node to define the four corners of the structure: start with N33 at front lower left
(coordinates 0,0,30), then move clockwise to N34 (coordinates 0,18.5,30), N2 (coordinates
0,18.5,0), and finally N1 (coordinates 0,0,0).
When finished drawing the wall panel, press the right mouse button or ESC to exit the drawing
mode.
Click the Rendering button on the Window toolbar twice to return to the rendered view.
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Coordinate Locations:
N33 (0,0,30)
N34 (0,18.5,30)
N2 (0,18.5,0)
N1 (0,0,0)
Notice the default rendered wall panel does not fully extend to its corner nodes. This is because the
default view for wall panels has a rendered size of 80%. Change this to a size of 100% for a better view:
On the Window toolbar, click Model Display Options . Select the Panels tab.
Under Draw Wall Panels As, click Rendered. In the Size list, click 100%.
Click OK to exit the dialog box and return to your model.
Your wall should now be rendered at 100%.
Notice that the three pinned boundary conditions still are present at the base of the wall. During
solution, the wall panel elements will automatically generate a continuous boundary condition at the
base, therefore you will want to delete these three boundary conditions to avoid duplicate restraint.
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Nodes to delete:
N1 (0,0,0)
N17 (0,0,15)
N33 (0,0,30)
Make note of the boundary condition labels and then delete them directly out of the Boundary
Conditions spreadsheet:
On the Spreadsheets menu, select Boundary Conditions.
Click in the N1 cell to highlight it in green as shown below:
Right-click your mouse and select Delete Current Line from the shortcut menu.
Repeat for the remaining two boundary conditions (N17 and N33).
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When complete, your Boundary Conditions spreadsheet should be left with just three entries, as shown
below:
Close the spreadsheet.

This was just a simple overview of the masonry wall panel feature. For more detailed information on this
feature and how to use it to set up design rules, regions, and openings for both masonry and wood
walls, refer to the Wall Panel Tutorials available on our website:
http://www.risa.com/d_documentation.html.
Next, prepare to draw the beams on the front of the structure.
First, click the Toggle Rendering button once to go back to wireframe view.
On the Drawing toolbar, click Draw New Members .

Click the Draw Members tab.
Under Member Material Type and Shape, click Hot Rolled. Click Assign a Section Set and select
Beam from the list.
Click Apply, and get ready to draw.
Draw the beams:
Click the joint in the middle of the front column, N48 (coordinates 21,10,30), to define the I-end
of the first member. Then click the middle joint on the middle column, N32 (coordinates
21,10,15) to define the J-end of the first member and the I-end of the second member. Finally,
click the middle joint of the right-most column, N16 (coordinates 21,10,0), to define the J-end of
the second member.
N48: (21,10,30)
N32: (21,10,15)
N16: (21,10,0)
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Now, draw in glulam beams between the top nodes of the same columns.
Click CTRL+D to reopen the Draw Members dialog window.
Under Member Material Type and Shape, click Wood. Click Assign a Section Set and select
Glulam from the list.
Click Apply, and get ready to draw.
Draw the beams:
Click the joint in the top of the front column, N36 (coordinates 21,18.5,30), to define the I-end
of the first member. Then click the top joint on the middle column, N20 (coordinates 21,18.5,15)
to define the J-end of the first member and the I-end of the second member. Finally, click the
top joint of the right-most column, N4 (coordinates 21,18.5,0), to define the J-end of the second
member.
N36: (21,18.5,30)
N20: (21,18.5,15)
N4: (21,18.5,0)
When finished, click ESC twice to exit the drawing mode.
Drawing Along Members

Next, you will add cold formed steel girts to the columns between the beams. Because there are no
joints at these locations, you can either create a drawing grid (as you did in Tutorial 1), or you can insert
joints on the columns (as you will do next).
On the Drawing toolbar, click Draw New Members . Click the Split Members tab.
Click Specific Location and type 14 in the box.
Under Physical, click Just Add Joints to Physical Members.
Under What happens when Apply is pressed?, click Apply Entries by Clicking Members
Individually.
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Your dialog box should now look like this:
Close the dialog box and begin to draw:

Click Apply.
Click once on each of the three columns in the front (the same columns you just connected with
beams).
New nodes will appear on the upper half of the columns between the two beams. You may use the
mouse wheel to zoom in to see them closer.
Press CTRL+D to re-open the Draw New Members dialog box. Click the Draw Members tab.
Under Member Material Type and Shape, click Cold Formed. Click Assign a Section Set, and
select Girt from the list.
Under Release Codes, click Pinned at Both Ends.
You also want the cold formed members to be turned so that their strong axis resists wind load. Specify
the rotation before drawing them:
Under Orientation/Rotate Options, in the Angle box, type 90.
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Tutorial 2 - Modify
Close the dialog box and prepare to draw again.

Click Apply and you are ready to draw.
Click on the three new nodes, from left to right, N49 (coordinates 21,14,30), N50 (coordinates
21,14,15), and N51 (coordinates 21,14,0). The three new nodes are shown circled in the figure
below.
When finished, right click to release the mouse.
N49: (21,14,30)
N50: (21,14,15)
N51: (21,14,0)
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Tutorial 2 - Modify
Next, modify the drawing grid to make the addition of the next members easier. These settings allow
you to set up a grid of graphical editing points along any orthogonal plane. They also allow you to
automatically snap to the quarter or third points of existing members.
On the Drawing toolbar, click Modify Drawing Grid . Click the Snap To Options tab.
Under Member Snap Locations, select the Quarter Points and Third Points check boxes (if not
already selected).
Under Universal Snap Increments, make sure the Use Universal Increments check box is
cleared, as shown below:
Continue drawing your cold formed girts:

Click Ok to close the dialog box and begin drawing.
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When you move your cursor over

graphical editing points, a red dot
appears. Check the Status bar to
view the coordinate location of
each point.
Your cursor indicates that

you are in drawing mode.
Graphical editing point Status bar coordinate

display
Draw the lower girts using the drawing points defined at the quarter points of the columns.
Click the left column coordinate (21, 4.625, 30). Then click the middle column coordinate (21,
4.625, 15) and the right column coordinate (21, 4.625, 0).
When you are finished drawing, right click to release the mouse. Right click a second time to exit
the drawing mode.
Click the Toggle Rendering button twice to return to rendered view.

When you are finished your screen should look like this:
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Tutorial 2 - Modify
Selecting Planes
Next, you will add a floor composed of plate elements. Use Criteria Selection again to select the joints to
facilitate drawing at the 10 foot elevation. This selection option allows you to select elevations, plans, or
any block of the model.
Unselect the entire model and define the coordinate elevation as follows:
On the Selection toolbar, click Unselect All .
Also on the Selection toolbar, click Criteria Selection .

Select the Coordinates tab.
Click the Clear Selection Criteria button to clear the entries from the previous selection.
Under Coordinate Bounds, in the Y Coordinate box (in the Minimum column), type 10. Press
TAB to move to the Maximum column and type 10 again.
The dialog box should look like this:
Close the dialog box:

Click OK.
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Items at the 10 foot elevation are selected like this:
Drawing Plates
Next, define the floor by drawing and submeshing plates.
On the Drawing toolbar, click Draw New Plates .

In the Material Set box, select gen_Conc3NW. In the Thickness box, type 8.
Close the dialog box and return to wireframe view for easier drawing.
Click Apply to close the dialog box and enter the drawing mode.
Note: The cursor changes to , indicating you are in the plate drawing mode.
Click the Toggle Rendering button once to return to wireframe view.
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Now draw in the plates.

To begin, click the closest corner joint (N48) then move counter-clockwise and click the joints
(N16), (N15), and finally (N47).
Right click to exit the drawing mode.
Click the Toggle Rendering button twice to return to rendered view.

The plate appears in rendered form with its thickness shown to scale, as shown below:
N48: (21,10,30)
N16: (21,10,0)
N15: (0,10,0)
N47: (0,10,30)
Sub-meshing Plates
How many plate elements do you need to get accurate results? Many books have been written
addressing the topic of “mesh size.” The finite element method is an “approaching method.” This means
the more fine your mesh, the more accurate your results. See the RISA-3D General Reference for
parametric studies that demonstrate this, along with some design examples for shear walls, horizontal
diaphragms, and spread footings. Our studies have shown that, to get accurate results, you should try to
have a 4x4 mesh of plates between points of support and load concentrations.
RISA-3D provides two distinct submeshing options: Automesh and Quad Submesh.
Automesh is the most advanced of the two options. This feature allows you to draw any arbitrary
polygon and have RISA-3D fill the polygon with well-sized quadrilateral plates. The AutoMesh feature
will not be demonstrated in this tutorial; however, you are encouraged to learn more about AutoMesh
in the RISA-3D General Reference.
Quad Submesh is the simpler option. It involves creating a single plate and then replacing that plate with
a submesh of smaller plates. You will use this option to mesh the plates next.
Press CTRL+D to display the dialog box again.
Click the Quad Submesh tab.
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The default entries would divide your plates into a 4x4 submesh which would create rectangular
submeshed plates, so modify it to create square plates for more accurate results.
In the Number of Pieces Along A-B Side box, type 8.
Click Apply Split to All Selected Plates.
Click Apply.
You should now have a 4x4 mesh of plates in each bay, as shown below:
C
Select the model and continue:
On the Selection toolbar, click Select All .
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You should now see:
Notice that submeshing the plates has added new joints along the existing beam members. Because of
the Physical Member feature, these new joints are automatically attached.
The plates are shown at 80% rendered view, which can be adjusted in the Model Display Options dialog
box. The shrink factors only apply to the length and width of the plates, not the thickness. The full
thickness is always shown. You may also notice that duplicate joints have been created at the middle
columns. Later, you will use the Model Merge feature to eliminate those.
Viewing Plates
Remove the labels and display the Model Display Options for plates:
On the Window toolbar, click Joint Labels to turn them off.
Also, on the Window toolbar, click Model Display Options . Select the Plates tab.
These options control how the plates are displayed graphically, and are similar to the member display
buttons.
The four main drawing options:

Wireframe – view in wireframe.
Color Filled – view in color fill and
plotted as a surface.
Rendered – renders the plot
Don’t Draw – will not draw the
plates.
Note: Both Color Filled and

Rendered may have a
transparancy factor applied.
0% = fully opaque
100% = completely transparent
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Display the plates in wireframe and take a closer look at them:

Under Draw Plates As, click Wireframe. Under Labeling, select X Symbol.
Click OK.
Now, zoom in and take a closer look at the wireframe plates.
Press the PLUS SIGN [+] on the numeric keypad four times to zoom in.
You should now see this:
Return to full model view:
On the Window toolbar, click Redraw .
Model Merge
The Model Merge feature searches for duplicate nodes and members (with the same coordinates) and
merges them into one.
Use Model Merge to merge the duplicate nodes and members:
On the Drawing toolbar, click Model Merge .

The Model Merge dialog box will appear:
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You have the option of merging the entire model or only a selected part of the model.
Click Apply. You will be presented with the results of the merge.
Click OK to close the Model Merge Results dialog box.
Scaling Elements
Assume your client has just submitted a change order to raise the truss from 18'-6" to 22'-9", and would
like the frame 25% wider (from 21' to 26'-3"). The client would like the completed design this afternoon!
These are significant changes to the model. If you were using a batch input program or a program
heavily reliant on “parametric” data generators, you would probably be required to start the data entry
process completely from scratch to create the new model.
A major strength of RISA-3D is the ability to make these types of changes to existing data, realizing that
data modification is probably one of the most common repetitive tasks, it is therefore the true test of
any software product. RISA-3D allows you to make all the requested changes graphically (using the built-
in graphical editing tools), or numerically (using the spreadsheets), or a combination of both—whichever
you prefer.
For this tutorial, you will make the changes graphically. Later, an explanation will be given about how
you could have accomplished the same changes within the spreadsheets.
To begin, widen the truss using the Scale feature.
Click the Modify menu and select Scale.
Note: On the Drawing toolbar, there is also a Scale Factor Move button .
To widen the truss, scale the model in the global X direction:
Under Scale Factor, in the X Factor box, type 1.25.
The Scale Origin is the point that

will remain stationary as the
selected items are scaled.
Scale Factor defines the scale

factors in each global direction.
Click Apply.
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Tutorial 2 - Modify
You are now finished widening the truss. Next, you will raise the truss. You cannot use Scale feature to
raise the truss because it would also lift the crossbeam. So instead, use the Move feature. Because you
want to move the truss and nothing else, you must first make a selection of the truss.
It will be easier to work with an elevation, so change the elevation, then select your truss:
On the Window toolbar, click XY Plan . Then, click Redraw .

On the Selection toolbar, click Unselect All . Then, click Box Select . Draw a box around
the entire truss. Right-click to release the selection tool.
Your selection of the truss should look like this:
Change the elevation as follows:
On the Drawing toolbar, click Linear Translation Move . A dialog box will appear.
Under Move Distance (ft), double-click in the Y box and type 4.25.
Click Apply.
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Note: You could have also used the Block Math feature to accomplish both modifications numerically in
the spreadsheets. To widen the structure, you would have simply multiplied the joint X coordinates by
1.25. To raise the truss, you would have first sorted the Y coordinates and then selected the coordinates
that are at an elevation of 8.5 ft or higher. The final step would have been to use the Block Math feature
to add 4.25 to these selected Y coordinates.
Now, select the model and change your view to prepare for the next step:
On the Window toolbar, click Isometric . Then, click Redraw .
Design Parameters
Before solving the model, steel and timber design code parameters, such as unbraced lengths, must be
specified. Once again, you will assign these values graphically. To view the parameters for any one
member you can also double-click that member. The values will be recorded on the Member Design
Parameters spreadsheet.
On the Modify menu, select Design Parameters.
Under Axial/Torsional Properties, in the Lbyy/le2/Luyy box and in the Lbzz/le1/Luzz box, type
Segment (or Seg). Also, select the Use? check box. (It will display in red once it is selected.)
Under What happens when Apply is pressed?, click Apply Entries to All Selected Members as
shown below:
Many parameters have

three labels separated
by a slash (/), indicating
steel/ timber/concrete
design parameters.
Each field is described
below. Refer to the
Help or RISA-3D
General Reference for
more information.
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Currently, all the options are blank except the first. For the options left blank, RISA-3D will use the
default values when the code check calculations are performed. For strong and weak axis bending, as a
result of using the Segment code, each node will be treated as a brace point.
Click Apply.
To actually see the settings for the unbraced lengths, you can double-click any member and review the
Unbraced Lengths in the Design tab. This information is also accessible from the Members spreadsheet.
RISA-3D calculates most of these parameters for you, although you may choose to specify your own
values. The table below explains how each parameter is handled, enabling you to take advantage of the
capabilities of RISA-3D.
Unbraced lengths with respect to column type buckling. These are used in the KL/r
Lb/le/Lu
calculations as well as the allowable axial strength.
Unbraced lengths of the compression flanges for buckling due to flexure. These are
Lb-comp/bend used in the calculation of allowable bending strength.
K factors Effective length factors for column type buckling.
These flags indicate whether the member is to be considered subject to sidesway or
Sway Flags
not. These are considered in the calculation of K factors, Cm and Cb factors.
Repetitive
This is the Cr factor used in NDS wood design.
Member
Design Rules Design rule for design optimization.
Seismic rules Design rule for seismic detailing.
The System adjustment factor that depends on the System Factor selection applied
KH (CSA Wood)
to the member on the Wood tab of the Members spreadsheet.
Beam reinforcement layout for flexural design. This can be set to default for program
Beam Layouts
design, or set to a custom rebar layout.
Column reinforcement layout for flexural design. This can be set to default for
Column Layouts
program design, or set to a custom rebar layout.
Cm/w1/CH Interactive bending coefficients. CH is the NDS Timber design shear stress factor.
Cb/w2/B Lateral-torsional buckling modification factors.

Per section C3.1.3 of the AISI. Used to calculate the moment capacity of cold formed
R (AISI)
beams that have one flange fastened to decking.
Icr Factor (ACI) Cracked moment of inertia factor for concrete design.
Cv (NDS) This is the Cv (volume) factor used for NDS wood design.
Eff Widths (ACI) Effective widths for concrete T-beam and L-beam design.
Slab Thicknesses
Slab thicknesses for concrete T-beam and L-beam design.
(ACI)
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Function for stiffness reduction per the AISC 14th Edition Steel Code Direct Analysis
Function
Method design.
Beam reinforcement layout for shear design. This can be set to default for program
Shear Layouts
design, or set to a custom rebar layout.
Sorting
Next, you will sort information in your model using the Joint Coordinates spreadsheet.
Open the Data Entry toolbar, by clicking on the button from the RISA toolbar.
On the Data Entry toolbar, click to open the Joint Coordinates spreadsheet.
The joints are listed in the order in which they were created as you defined your model. However, it
would be more useful to list them based on their coordinate locations. Sort the joints in ascending X
coordinate order:
On the Joint Coordinates spreadsheet, click anywhere in the X column.
On the Window toolbar, click Sort , select Sort Low to High, and click OK.
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Next, add a Z-coordinate sort:

Click anywhere in the Z column.
Right-click the mouse, select Sort , click Sort Low to High, and click OK.
Last, sort on the Y-coordinate:
Click anywhere in the Y column.
Now you have the joints in ascending Y coordinate order, and at each Y coordinate level. They are also
sorted in ascending Z and X coordinate order. Notice that the labels stayed with their assigned joints,
and the model plot looks exactly the same.
Relabel the joints as follows:
On the Tools menu, select ReLabel Joints.
Type “N” as the Prefix to be used for the new joint labels and click OK.
As you can see from the model view window, the joints are now relabeled from the bottom up.
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Next, sort the members.

On the Data Entry toolbar, click to open the Members spreadsheet.
Use this spreadsheet to sort the members, first by their I-Joint:
On the Member Primary Data spreadsheet, click anywhere in the I Joint column.
Then sort by the section set:
Click anywhere in the Section/Shape column.
Again, the member labels remain with the same members and the view has not been affected by the
sort (because nothing has actually changed other than how the members are arranged in the
spreadsheet).
Next, re-label your beams by section. This will make them easier to identify and work with in your next
operation (assigning parameters for steel and wood design):
On the Tools menu, select Relabel Members.
Type “M” as the Prefix to be used for the new member labels and click OK.
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Tutorial 2 - Modify
This is the end of Tutorial 2. The next tutorial demonstrates how to load the model.
On the File menu, click Save As and enter a file name.
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Tutorial 3 – Loading
In this tutorial, you will apply loads and explore how to generate load combinations from pre-defined
load cases. This tutorial continues where the previous tutorial ended.
toolbar.
RISA:
Click Open Model .

toolbar.
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Load Cases, Categories, and Combinations

Before you load the model, it is important to understand how RISA-3D manages loads. When loads are
defined in RISA-3D, they are assigned to a “Basic Load Case,” which is simply a set of loads. You can have
up to 1000 separate Basic Load Cases (BLCs) defined in the Basic Load Cases spreadsheet. RISA-3D also
provides an option to assign the BLCs to categories (DL, LL, etc.), which allows you to easily combine
them later in the load combinations. When you are ready to solve the model, the BLCs (or BLC
categories) are combined with multipliers to create load combinations in the Load Combinations
spreadsheet.
In order to keep your loads organized, first define your Basic Load Cases. Then, when you apply your
loads, specify which Load Case each will be assigned to. Although a description is not required by RISA-
3D, below you will give a description for the first five BLCs.
On the Spreadsheets menu, click Basic Load Cases to open the spreadsheet.
Under BLC Description, in row 1, type Roof Load. Press ENTER.
In row 2, type Wind Load. Press ENTER.
In row 3, type Live Load. Press ENTER.
In row 4, type Dead Load. Press ENTER.
In row 5, type Cladding. Press ENTER.
Your spreadsheet should now look like this:
The remainder of the spreadsheet

is now blank because you have no
loads applied.
Next, you will apply the loads and then come back to this spreadsheet to discuss it further.
Click Close to exit the spreadsheet.
Load Direction Options

RISA-3D allows you to specify the direction of your loads in different ways. The three basic choices are:
• Apply loads aligned with global axes, designated with upper case labels such as X, Y, and Z.
• Apply loads aligned with member or plate local axes, designated with lower case labels such
as x, y, and z.
• Apply projected loads along global axes, designated with upper case labels such as PX, PY,
and PZ.
There is no need to worry about remembering the options, as you will be presented with this list each
time you define the loads in RISA-3D. Also, the Help menu will provide explanations as needed.
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Area Loads
The roof load and the wind load will be applied as area loads. This means you will specify a load over an
area and RISA-3D will attribute that load to the appropriate members. RISA-3D gives the option of one-
or two-way load attribution for area loads. One-way loads are attributed to the closest member in a
certain direction; and two-way loads are attributed to the closest member, regardless of direction.
For this tutorial, the roof load will be a 20 psf vertical load attributed to the truss top chords with a one-
way area load. The wind load will be a 40 psf lateral load attributed to the members on the side of the
structure with a two-way area load.
To apply the load, start by selecting just the roof plane:
On the Selection toolbar, click Unselect All to unselect the entire model. Then, click the
Criteria Selection button . A dialog box will appear. Click the Coordinates tab.
Click the Clear Selection Criteria button (at the bottom). Then, under Coordinate Bounds, in the
Y Coordinate row, in the Minimum column, type 26.75.
Note: The Maximum value can be left blank, since there is nothing above that elevation.

Click OK.
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Items at the top chord elevation are now selected, as shown below:
Next, draw the roof area load:

On the Insert menu, select Area (Member) Load. The Basic Load Case list should already be set
to Roof Load. In the Magnitude box, type -0.02. In the Distribution list, select A-B to specify the
load attribution direction.
Click Apply to begin drawing the roof load area.
Because you selected A-B for the Distribution direction, the first two clicks (A to B) define the direction
of the load attribution. You can verify this graphically by checking the direction of the arrow on the load
graphic.
First, click the leftmost node, N89 (coordinates 3.75,26.75,30), and then proceed clockwise
clicking on the corner nodes N79 (coordinates 3.75,26.75,0), N83 (coordinates 22.5,26.75,0),
and finally N93 (coordinates 22.5,26.75,30) to define the area.
Now, your model should look like this:
Note: The arrow denotes the

load attribution direction.
Next, you will select the wind load plane.
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On the Selection toolbar, click Unselect All to unselect the entire model. Then, click the
Criteria Selection button . Make sure the Coordinates tab is still selected.
Again, click the Clear Selection Criteria button (at the bottom). Then, under Coordinate Bounds,
in the X Coordinate row, in the Minimum column, type 26.25.
Note: The Maximum value can again be left blank, since there is nothing above that elevation.
Close the dialog box.

Click OK.
The front face elements are now selected. Next, change the load direction:
Press Ctrl+D to recall the Area Loads for Members dialog box.
In the Basic Load Case list, select 2: Wind Load. In the Load Direction list, select X. In the
Magnitude box, type -0.04. In the Distribution Direction list, select Two Way. Click Apply to
draw wind load area.
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Return to your model to define the area:

First, click the bottom-most node, N6, and then proceed clockwise clicking on the corner nodes
N78, N64, and finally N2, as shown below.
N6: (26.25,0,30)
N78: (26.25,22.75,30)
N64: (26.25,22.75,0)
N2: (26.25,0,0)
Your screen should now show the wind load applied as shown below:
Because you selected a Two Way

Distribution direction, the load is
now denoted by a star (rather than a
directional arrow). The star indicates
that the area load will be attributed
in both directions.
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Surface Loads
Next, you will apply surface loads on the plates. You will apply a uniform 0.1 ksf (100 psf) load to all
plates, as part of Basic Load Case 3. The surface load will be applied uniformly over the surface of the
plate.
Select the entire model and remove the joint labels:
Click Select All .
On the Window toolbar, click Joint Labels . This will toggle off the display of the joint labels.
On the Drawing toolbar, click Surface Loads for Plates .

In the Basic Load Case list, select 3: Live Load. In the Direction list, select Y (be sure to select the
upper case “Y” for the global Y direction). In the Magnitude box, type -0.02. Finally, click Apply
Load to All Selected Plates.
Click Apply.
The loads will now be applied to all plates, as shown below.
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Distributed Loads
The cladding on the structure will be applied as a 300 plf distributed vertical load on the Glulam beams
and the Beam-Z members. Apply these loads by clicking on the members to demonstrate this method.
On the Drawing toolbar, click Distributed Loads . In the Basic Load Case box, select 5:
Cladding.
In the Start Magnitude box, type -0.3. Notice the same value is automatically entered as the End
Magnitude value.
Under What happens when Apply is pressed? select Apply Load by Clicking Members/Wall
Panel Edge Individually.
Close the dialog box and prepare to select the members.

Click Apply and you can now select the members.
At this point, you could simply click the four members to apply the load. However, for demonstration
purposes, make a selection that designates the correct members.
On the Selection toolbar, click Unselect All . Then, click the Criteria Selection button .
Select the Members tab.
Under Member Properties, in the Section Set/Shape list, choose Beam.
Click Apply and the members will be selected.
Repeat to select the Glulam beams:
Under Member Properties, in the Section Set/Shape list, choose Glulam.
Click OK and the members will be selected and the dialog window will close.
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Now, click these four members to load them with the distributed cladding load:
Click each of the four members one at a time. The loading will be applied.
Press ESC to stop drawing.
When you are finished, your screen should look like this:
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Basic Load Case Spreadsheet

To verify that the loads you have applied graphically are correct, review them in the spreadsheets.
On the Spreadsheets menu, select Basic Load Cases to open the Basic Load Cases spreadsheet.
The Basic Load Cases spreadsheet is where you named your basic load cases earlier. Notice that there
are now some numbers on the right side of the spreadsheet. These numbers summarize the loads you
just defined: the first two lines contain a “1” which represents the one area load that you placed in each
case; the “32” indicates you have 32 plates loaded with surface loads; and the “4” represents the 4
cladding loads you just applied. They are greyed, indicating they cannot be edited in this spreadsheet.
But, clicking on any of the entries will cause the appropriate spreadsheet to open, where any editing can
be performed.
The greyed out
numbers cannot be
edited from this
spreadsheet.
However, you may
click on the entry to
open the appropriate
spreadsheet where
Note: You may also click on blank cells to open
the editing can be
spreadsheets for load cases not yet defined. This
performed.
“linking” provides an easy way for you to get an
overall view of the loads with the Basic Load Cases
spreadsheet and then quickly open the specific
load spreadsheets for further investigation.
Open the Distributed Loads spreadsheet which contains the loads that were assigned to BLC 5.
Click the number 4 (in the Distributed column of the Cladding case).
The Member Distributed Loads spreadsheet will open. Notice the member list (at the top of the
spreadsheet) now displays BLC 5: Cladding. You can also use this list to view distributed loads that
belong to another BLC.
Click Close to close the Distributed Loads spreadsheet and return to the Basic Load Cases
spreadsheet.
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Copying Loads
After taking the time to define a complex load case, you may realize that another load case is very
similar to it. To save time when defining the second load case, you may find it useful to copy the first
load case and modify the copy rather than start from scratch. For this purpose, RISA-3D provides the
Copy BLC tool that allows you to copy all or part of a basic load case to another basic load case.
Use the Copy BLC tool to create a 10 psf dead load from the 20 psf live load that you just created.
On the Window toolbar, click the Copy BLC button . The Copy Basic Load Case dialog box will
appear.
Under Copy the Loads FROM this Basic Load Case, select 3: Live Load.
Under INTO this Basic Load Case, select 4: Dead Load.

Click OK.
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There is now a “32” in the Surface column of the Dead Load case.
Click the “32” to open the Surface Loads spreadsheet, where BLC 4: Dead Load will be displayed
in the load list.
Use the Block Math feature to change this load from 20 psf to 10 psf, or 50% of the copied live load.
First, select all of the cells in the Magnitude column. A fast way to select the entire column is to
click on the Magnitude column heading. The entire column is now selected and is colored
magenta.
On the Window toolbar, click Block Math .

Under Please enter the block math operand, type 2.
Click DIVIDE the block by the operator.
Click Ok. The surface loads now have a magnitude of -0.01 ksf (10 psf downward).
Press Ctrl+F4 to close the Plate Surface Loads spreadsheet.
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Self-weight
The last step in defining your loads is to define the self-weight of the structure. You will add it to the
same basic load case where you just placed the surface dead loads. To accomplish this, simply enter a
factor in the Y Gravity column on the Dead Load basic load case.
Click in the Y Gravity column of the Dead Load case (row 4) and type -1.
RISA-3D will now calculate and include the self-weight of the model during the solution. The factor
entered is a multiplier for the self-weight. In this case, “-1” is used because you want the full self-weight
applied downward (the negative Y-direction).
Load Categories
The final thing to do on the Basic Load Cases spreadsheet is to assign each load case to a category.
Categories make it easier to later combine them for Load Combinations. In this model, the loads are
quite manageable and you could just refer to them by their BLC number. Many structures, however, will
be modeled with many separate load cases that are part of the same family.
Assign the associated categories to each of the Basic Load Cases:
Click in the Category column of the Roof Load case. Select RLL (Roof Live Load).
Click in the Category column of the Wind Load case. Select WL (Wind Load).
Click in the Category column of the Live Load case. Select LL (Live Load).
Click in the Category column of the Dead Load case. Select DL (Dead Load).
Click in the Category column of the Cladding case. Select DL (Dead Load).
The spreadsheet is now complete and looks like this:
Close the spreadsheet:

Click Close to close the spreadsheet.
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Load Combinations
You will now define how the loads are to be combined. The Load Combinations combine the loads
applied to the Basic Load Cases, along with multiplying factors to apply to the model for solution and
results. Most standard code combinations are already built into RISA-3D.
On the Spreadsheets menu choose Load Combinations.
Currently, there is no data available for the spreadsheet. Generate the load combinations using the LC
Generator:
On the Window toolbar, click the Load Combination Generator button .
Generate the Load Combinations:
Click on the Gravity tab. In the Region list, select United States.
In the Code list, select 2015 IBC ASD.
Under Beam Deflection Options, uncheck Generate Deflection LCs.
Under Roof Live Load Options, select RLL (Roof Live Load), SL (Snow Load), and RL (Rain Load).
Click Generate. Next, click on the Wind tab.
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Under Wind Load Options, click 2D Only.
Click Generate.
Lastly, click on the Seismic tab.
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Because you did not apply any earthquake loads to your structure, it is appropriate to leave both
the Seismic Load Options and the Overstrength LC Options set to None.
For more information on the Wind Load Options and Seismic Load Options refer to the Generating
Building Code Combinations section of RISA-3D General Reference.
Finally, click Close.
The following Load Combinations spreadsheet will be generated:
The generated combinations may be edited in the spreadsheet. Each field is described below:
Description A descriptive label of your choice. Enter any descriptive label, and it will be
displayed with the results when the load combination is solved.
Solve This check box indicates whether this combination is to be included in the Batch
or Envelope solution (that will be performed later). All of your combinations are
currently selected, indicating that they are to be included.
PDelta The PDelta flag indicates what type of P-Delta analysis you wish to run. P-Delta
calculations account for the secondary effects resulting from load eccentricities
due to model deflections.
SRSS The SRSS field is used to combine response spectra analysis results for different
directions by taking the square root of the sum of the squares.
(the The remaining fields define the actual combinations, with pairs of BLC columns
remaining and Factor columns. The values are exactly as listed in the code.
fields)
Note: Instead of using categories, as shown, you may also call out loads by the BLC number. For
example, instead of using LL, you could reference the same load by typing the BLC number (3). Other
options include nesting one combination within another and including response spectra results. For
more information, refer to Help or the RISA-3D General Reference.
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Before moving on, make the following changes to the spreadsheet. Since you do not have a snow load,
or rain load, remove the unnecessary combinations from the list by deleting those lines from the
spreadsheet.
First, select the rows to be deleted:
Select rows 4 and 5 (load combinations IBC 16-10 (b) and IBC 16-10 (c)) by clicking directly on
row 4 (the row label), then drag down to row 5. Release the mouse.
These lines should now be shaded yellow, as shown below.
Note: If the cells are highlighted in magenta, you selected cells from within the spreadsheet, not the row
label.
Now, delete rows 4 and 5:
On the Window toolbar, click Delete Lines .

Note: After deleting rows, the row numbers will renumber.
The rows are now deleted, leaving you with the remaining combinations.
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Next, delete combinations 5 (IBC 16-11 (b)) and 6 (IBC 16-11 (c)), this time using a different method:
Under the Description column, place your cursor in the IBC 16-11 (b) cell (the fifth row down).
Press the F4 key two times to delete this load combination as well as IBC 16-11 (c).
Repeat to delete combinations 7 (IBC 16-13 (b)) and 8 (IBC 16-13 (c)).
The remaining load combinations are sufficient for your steel and wood members. However, you will
need to add more load combinations for the design of your concrete members.
Click the Load Combination Generator button again.
Generate the strength level Load Combinations for concrete member design:
Click on the Gravity tab.
In the Region list, select United States.
In the Code list, select 2015 IBC Strength.
Uncheck the SL (Snow Load) and RL (Rain Load) checkboxes so you don’t generate unnecessary
Load Combinations this time.
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Click Generate. Next, click on the Wind tab.

Under Wind Load Options, click 2D Only.
Click Generate and then click the Close button.

The Load Combinations spreadsheet will now include strength load combinations for the design of your
concrete members.
With the requirements of the AISC 14th Edition Steel Code and the ACI 318-14 Concrete Code, you will
need to include P-Delta effects in your results. This is not included by default for the ASD combinations,
but you can include it in the Load Combinations spreadsheet.
Use your cursor to highlight the PDelta column.
Click CTRL + F to open the Block Fill dialog box.
Type “Y” into the dialog box and click Ok.
This will fill in the P-Delta column with Y, representing a “Yes, include P-Delta effects” for all the load
combinations.
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View more load combination data:

On the Load Combinations spreadsheet, click the Design tab to view more load combination
data.
Modify your spreadsheet so it matches the image below. These selections will ensure that the
Concrete members are only designed for strength level load combinations.
The data from the Design tab is described below:

ASIF Used to enter the allowable stress increase factor (ASIF) for the design of
hot rolled steel per AISC 9th Edition specifications. Since you are using the
ASCE load combinations, this increase factor (usually 1.333 for wind or
seismic loads) will not be used. An entry in this field greater than 1.0 is also
used to indicate whether the seismic provisions of the LRFD code are to be
used.
CD The load duration factor used only in timber design. This factor is
dependent on the load with the shortest duration that is present in the load
combination.
ABIF Used to set the allowable bearing stress factor which will be used for the
soil bearing check in Footing design. This factor is only available when you
have installed a current copy of the RISAFoot program.
Service This check box indicates whether the load combination is for service level
loads. This will affect the stiffness used for concrete members during the
solution.
The The remaining fields define which material types will be designed and/or
remaining checked for that load combination. Therefore, you will never get an NDS
fields wood code check for the strength level load combinations used for concrete
design.
Review, then close the spreadsheet.

Review the information on your spreadsheet.
Click Close to close the spreadsheet.
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Displaying Loads
RISA-3D provides easy ways to view your loads using the loads display buttons described below. The
loads can be displayed as Basic Load Cases, Load Categories, or Load Combinations.
Switch Load button – alternates between

the three different display modes:
Display Loads button -
Turns the display mode
on and off. Basic Load Cases
Load Combinations
Load Categories
To view the basic load cases, first select the entire model:
On the Window toolbar, click the Display Loads list and select BLC 2:Wind Load. If your loads do
not appear, click the Display Loads button to turn them on.
To view the load combinations:
On the Window toolbar, click the Switch Loads button one time.
Select your load combination:
The Display Loads list changes to

display all of the load combinations
(instead of the basic load cases).
Also, the list displays the loads as
they are factored into the load
combinations.
Select LC 6: IBC 16-13 (a).
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Using the load display techniques described

above provide a great way to verify the
loads on your model.
Note: The magnitudes of the loads
represent the factored combination. For
example, the displayed floor load
magnitude is the combination of the dead
and live loads multiplied by their factors.
When you are finished viewing the load combinations, view the load categories:
On the Window toolbar, click the Switch Loads button one more time. The Display Loads
list will again change, now displaying the Load Categories.
View the loads by category by selecting them from the list.
This concludes Tutorial 3. The next tutorial demonstrates how to solve the model.
On the File menu, click Save As and enter a file name.
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Tutorial 4 – Solving & Results

In this tutorial, you will solve the model defined in the last tutorial and review the results. Make sure
you start off correctly by opening the file mentioned next. This tutorial continues where the previous
tutorial ended, so follow these steps to get your model up and running:
toolbar.
RISA:
Click Open Model .

toolbar.
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Solving the Model

In this tutorial, you will solve a few single load combinations, then solve all of the combinations and look
at the enveloped results.
On the RISA toolbar, click Solve .

Click Single Combination. In the Single Combination list, select 4: IBC 16-11 (a).
Click Solve.
RISA-3D reports the solution steps as they occur. When the solution is complete, the Results toolbar is
displayed to the right of the model view for access to other results.
You may view results in the spreadsheets, plotted on the model view, or review the details for each
member, as described below.
Using the Results Toolbar

The results spreadsheets may be accessed from the Results menu or the
Results toolbar. For now, use the Results toolbar to quickly review the
results.
Later, you will click on spreadsheets to review the data. While in the
spreadsheets, you may refer to the Status bar for an explanation of any
active cell. Use the scroll bars to view information not displayed in the
window.
The keyboard can be useful to move your cursor around in the spreadsheets.
Use the PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN keys to move your cursor up or down a
page at a time, or the UP ARROW and DOWN ARROW keys to move your
cursor up or down one line at a time. The HOME and END keys move your
cursor to the top (HOME) or bottom (END) of the spreadsheet.
The Window toolbar also provides helpful tools that allow you to locate and
manipulate the spreadsheet data. You can use the Find feature to locate
specific results or the Sort feature to sort the results. The Exclude feature
allows you to hide results that are not of interest.
Now that you have an idea of what results are available, in the next section
you will see how easily and quickly you can manipulate them.
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On the Results toolbar, select Joint Deflections to review the results.

Next, select Member Forces to view the Member Section Forces spreadsheet. (Note that seven
locations are listed for each member. This is because you specified seven sections when defining
the Model Settings.)
A powerful feature of the spreadsheets is that the data can be sorted various ways. Next, you will use
the Sort feature to sort the strong axis moment results.
Under the z-z Moment column, click any cell.
On the Window toolbar, click Sort to access the sorting options.

Click Sort Abs Max to Abs Min.
Click OK.
The members are now sorted according to their absolute maximum z-axis bending moment value.
Review the remaining spreadsheet data:
On the Results toolbar, select Member Stresses to view the Member Section Stresses
spreadsheet.
Select Member Torsion to view the Member Torsion Stresses spreadsheet, including warping
and shear stresses for the members that warp.
Select Member Deflections to view the Member Section Deflections spreadsheet. This
spreadsheet also shows the deflections as a ratio of member length (the L/y Ratio) providing an
easy check against deflection criteria, such as L/360.
Select Suggested Design to view the Suggested Shapes spreadsheet for redesign (you will use
this spreadsheet later).
Review the Design Results data:
Select Design Results and choose the Hot Rolled Steel tab. The data relating to the AISC code
checks is presented here; i.e., ratio of actual to allowable stresses. (Any failing members would
be denoted with red text.) The allowable stresses, Cb and Cm values, and controlling equation
are listed. If you were performing LRFD-based design, the member strengths would also be
listed here (along with the code check value).
Select the Cold Formed Steel tab to view the cold formed steel code checks. The design
strengths Pn, Mny, and Mnz are listed, along with the code check values and controlling
equation. Factored design stresses and controlling equation are also listed.
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Select the Wood tab to view the wood code checks for your glulam members. The factored
design stresses and controlling equation are also listed.
Select the Concrete tab. Notice that there are no results for this load combination. This is
because concrete design requires an enveloped solution.
Now, finish reviewing the Results toolbar data:
On the Results toolbar, select Plate Stresses to view the Plate Principal Stresses spreadsheet.
Select Plate Forces to view the Plate Forces spreadsheet.
Select Plate Corner Forces to view the Plate Corner Forces spreadsheet.
Select Wall Panel Design to view the Wall Panel Design spreadsheet.
Select Wall Panel Forces to view the Wall Panel Forces spreadsheet.
Select Material TakeOff to view the Material Takeoff spreadsheet.
Graphic Results
Since you have solved the model, you now have several more plotting options. But, you must first close
all the spreadsheets, turn off the joint labels, and return to the model viewing options:
On the Window menu, select Single View. All the open spreadsheets will be closed.
Click Joint Labels to turn off the joint labels.
Finally, on the Results toolbar, click Close to close the toolbar.
Plotting Deflected Shapes

Another important feature that makes quick review possible is the ability to view deflected shapes. You
will utilize this feature next.
On the Window toolbar, click Model Display Options to open the Model Display Options
dialog box.
Click the Deflection tab.
Under Show Deflected Shape For, click Load Combination (pick from list at bottom). The
combination you solved will now appear in the list at the bottom.
Set the Magnification Factor to 200.
Click OK.
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This is a simple representation of the model deflection under these loads. Next, you will use some of
RISA-3D's more advanced graphics features.
On the Window toolbar, click Render two times.
Animation
Now, you can go a step further and animate this deflected shape plot.
On the Window toolbar, click Model Display Options again. Make sure you are still on the
Deflection Diagrams tab.
Click the Animate This Deflected Shape button.
A progress bar indicates that the animation is rendering, the speed of which will depend on the speed of
your computer. Once your new animation displays, you can close the dialog box.
Once the animation begins, you can change the speed using the speed dial. The deflected shape
animation is a powerful tool that allows you to clearly see how the model is deflecting, and helps you
identify parts of the structure that may have been incorrectly modeled or loaded.
When you are finished watching the animation, close the window:
Click Close to close the animation window.

On the Window toolbar, click Render one time to return to the wireframe.
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Color-Coding Member Results

You can also display members and highlight areas of concern. To demonstrate this, perform a plot of the
model with each member color-coded by axial stress.
On the Window toolbar, click Model Display Options to return to the Model Display
Options dialog box. You should still be on the Deflection tab.
Click Don’t Show Deflected Shape and click Apply to turn off the deflected shape.
Next, click the Members tab.
Under Draw Members As, select Color Coded. Under the Color Basis list, select Compression.
Click OK.
The color legend appears in the upper right side of the model view window. With the color-coded
members you can quickly identify members that require further attention.
Lastly, display moments and reactions in the model view.
On the Window toolbar, click Model Display Options again. You should still be in the
Members tab.
Under Draw Members As, select Wireframe.
Under Member Results, in the Diagram list, select z-z Moment. Also, select the Magnitudes
check box.
Now, click the Joints tab.
In the Show the Reactions section, select the Y Direction check box. Then, select the Include the
Magnitudes check box.
Click OK.
The moment diagrams and reactions are now plotted with magnitudes, as shown below:
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Member Detail Report

Next, use the member detail report to take a closer look at some members.
From the Results menu, select Members - Member Detail. Click OK to display a report on
member M1 (which is the crossbeam on the middle right).
The report looks like this:
This detailed report

displays all the
forces, stresses, and
deflections for any
individual member.
Click on any diagram in

the report to enlarge
(see below).
Click the local y-axis (Dy) deflection diagram (top center diagram).
The deflection diagram for member M1 will display:
The buttons across the

top allow you to close
the diagram, view the
previous member or
the next member, or
print.
Allows you to retrieve the

absolute maximum value This slider allows you to retrieve
and its location. values at 97 sections. This is based
on the number of Internal Sections
set in the Solution tab of Model
Settings.
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Besides the many ways to navigate these diagrams that are described above, you can also access
diagrams for other values without returning to the model view or the detail report.
Click the list containing y Deflection. The entire list of available diagrams will display. Select z-z
Moment to display the z-z moment values for member M1.
Feel free to try any of the options or view another diagram from the list.
When you are finished, click Close to close any diagrams you may have open.
You will be returned to the member detail report.
Scroll down in the detail report to view code check information: code check value along with the
controlling equation and all of the design values.
Finally, click Close to close the detail report.
You may also open the member detail report by clicking on a member in the model view.
On the Selection toolbar, click the Detail button. The cursor will now change to . Click on any
member to generate a report for that member. Try clicking on a few members to see the various
detail reports.
You may also open detail reports from within any spreadsheet.
From the Results menu, select Members - Design Results. When the spreadsheet displays, click
the Hot Rolled Steel tab.
On the Window toolbar, click Detail Report for Current Item.
Plotting Plate Results

Before viewing the plate results, close any extra windows, turn off the joint labels, and set the Model
Display Options as follows:
On the Window menu, select Single View to close the extra windows you may have open.
Click Joint Labels to to turn off the joint labels.
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On the Window toolbar, click Model Display Options . Select the Plates tab.
Try contouring using the Wireframe and the Color Fill options to see the difference. Begin with the
Wireframe option:
Under the Wireframe option, select the Contours check box.
In the Contouring Control section, in the Value list, select Mx.
Contours refers to the color

coding to be displayed on the
plates (or panels, or solids),
where different colors represent
different magnitudes for the
particular result being
“contoured.” Under Wireframe,
the contours are displayed as
lines. Under Color Fill, the
contours are displayed as color-
filled areas.
Contouring Control sets the

value to be contoured (for
either Wireframe or Color Fill
mode).
Click OK.
Wireframe Contour
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The colored lines represent the values of Mx and the contouring enables you to see graphically how the
Mx moment is distributed on the floors. Next, try the color filled contour.
On the Window toolbar, click Model Display Options to return to the Model Display
Options for the plates.
Under Color Fill, in the Color Basis list, select Contours.
Click OK.
Color Fill Contour
This “color fill” gives a more colorful representation of the Mx distribution. Note that for the previous
wireframe contour, each line represented a specific value; however, for the color filled contouring, the
colors represent a range of values (as displayed in the legend).
Printing Graphic Results

Print your results:
On the Window toolbar, click Model Display Options . Then, click the Members tab.
Under Draw Members As, click Rendered.
Click OK.
Click the Redraw Full Model View button, .
On the RISA toolbar, click Print . The Graphic Print Options dialog box will appear.
Click Landscape (paper orientation).
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This dialog box allows you to customize

your printout by: scaling fonts and
symbols for labels and legends, including
the title bar, or adding any comments.
Click Continue. The Print dialog box will display. Select your printer, then click OK and the plot
will be printed.
Batch Solution
The Batch solution option allows you to solve multiple combinations concurrently. When using this
option, the results for each will be recorded and can then be viewed in the results spreadsheets and
organized either by load combination or by item.
On the RISA toolbar, click Solve again.
Select Batch Solution of Marked Combinations.
Make sure the Include an Envelope with Batch checkbox is selected. Then, click Solve.
A message will display notifying you that the results will be cleared. Select Yes.
Note: Whenever you solve the model, RISA-3D will display a message notifying you that the results will
be cleared (this alleviates the possibility of you having results data that does not match the input data).
If you prefer to disable the warning message, you may do so in the Application Settings (on the Tools
menu, click Application Settings).
After the solution is performed, RISA-3D does retain the decomposed stiffness matrix, so as long as the
data items you edit do not impact the stiffness matrix, subsequent solutions will be much faster.
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With the Batch solution complete, you may now choose different load combinations when plotting
results. Each view may show results from a different combination.
On the Window toolbar, click Model Display Options . You should still be on the Members
tab.
In the Combination to Use for Results Display list, select 14: IBC 16-4 (a). Click OK.
The model view now shows results for Load Combination 14.
On the Results menu, select Reactions.
For the Batch solution, the spreadsheets display all results for each load combination. Currently, the
results are grouped by combination. All reactions for Load Combination 1 are listed first, then for each
combination thereafter. The combination number is listed in the first column.
You can also group the results so that all the reactions for joint N1 are together, then N2, etc.
On the Results menu, select Results Presentation - Batch Results Listed By Item to display them
joint by joint. The first column shows the load combination.
Now, take a closer look at your concrete results.
On the Results menu choose Members – Envelope Design Results.
Click the Concrete Beams tab.
Take a moment to browse these beam results. This spreadsheet presents a maximum code check for the
top reinforcing (negative bending), the bottom reinforcing (positive bending), and beam shear. In
addition, the factored beam capacities are given for each critical location.
Notice that no governing load combination is listed for the concrete code check. This is because the
rebar layout for a concrete beam is always based on an envelope of the design forces.
Next, click the Concrete Columns tab.
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The column design results are similar to the beam, except that the bending and shear results are given
for biaxial loads.
On the Window toolbar, click the Detail Report for Current Item button.
This will display an envelope detail report for the concrete column that looks like this:
Because this detail report is based on moment and shear envelopes, it is somewhat different than the
one you just reviewed for a steel member.
Scroll down to take a look at the Span Information and reinforcing steel.
In concrete design, each column or beam is divided into spans, depending on how many points of
support it has. This portion of the detail report also contains information on the reinforcing steel
required for each region of each span.
Envelope Solution
An envelope solution is different from a single combination or a batch solution because it only stores the
maximum and minimum values. Each of the spreadsheets will contain minimum and maximum values
for each load combination included. Because the rest of the data is not stored, the detail reports and the
deflected shapes are not available when this solution type is selected.
Solve the model again, this time as an envelope solution:
First, select Single View from the Window menu to return back to the model view.
Click Solve .
Select Envelope (Only) of Marked Combinations, then click Solve. Click Yes to agree to clear the
results.
Explore several of the spreadsheets to see how the results differ from the Batch solution.
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Optimizing Member Sizes

The Member Suggested Shapes spreadsheet reports RISA-3D’s recommendations for alternate shape
sizes, along with the member that is controlling the design.
Note: If you are already using the optimum shape for a section set or member, it will not be listed on
this spreadsheet.
Open the Suggested Design spreadsheet from the Results toolbar.
Uncheck all the boxes in the Use Suggested? column except that in row 5 for the Glulam
section.
On the Window toolbar, click Replace and Resolve . Then, click OK to agree to resolve.
Excluding Results
Next, you will use the Steel Code Checks spreadsheet to sort the members and hide the results for
members that have a code check value lower than 0.2. This exemplifies how you can cut down the
amount of data for review and verification in your spreadsheets, making it more manageable.
In the Design Results spreadsheet Click on the Hot Rolled Steel tab to make it the active
window.
Now, sort the results based on the maximum code check to see which members are closest to failure.
On the Envelope AISC 14th(360-10): ASD Steel Code Checks spreadsheet, click anywhere in the
Code Check column.
On the Window toolbar, click Sort , then select Sort Max to Min, and click OK.
Note: Images and numbers shown are for reference only. It is possible that you will see different results
even if you only slightly used a different procedure, therefore, the results screenshots shown in this
Tutorial are only meant to be an example for exploring the results features.
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Now, look for the last member with a code check value that is 0.2 or higher (which is M29 in row 6).
In the Code Check column, click in row 6 to make M29 the active row, as shown in the image
below.
On the Window toolbar, click Exclude After . All rows below the active cell (M29) will be
deleted from the spreadsheet (keep in mind, you can always click Unexclude to retrieve
them).
Printing Reports and Spreadsheets

Next, you will explore printing options for the spreadsheets. Because you have excluded some results
from the spreadsheet, note that the excluded information will not print.
On the RISA toolbar, click Print to open the Data Printing dialog box.
Click Print Current Spreadsheet, and click OK.
Allows you to print selected lines in a

spreadsheet (select the lines you would like
printed, then click Print ).
Select this option to print a single spreadsheet.
This option allows you to print an entire report

of your input and/or output.
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Once you select the printing option you prefer, the Print dialog box will display:
On the Print dialog box, select a printer, and click OK. The printer will then print your
spreadsheet or report.
Printing Graphical Results

You can also graphically select items you would like to print using the graphical exclude feature.
On the Window menu, select Single View.
On the Window toolbar, click Member Labels to display the member labels.
On the Selection toolbar, click Unselect All .

Then, make your selection of the items you would like to print:
Click on the wall, one concrete member, one steel member, one wood member, one cold
formed steel member, two joints, and two plates.
Your selection should now look something like this:
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This next step will “exclude” the unselected items from the results:
On the Selection toolbar, click Exclude.
This will automatically open the Exclude Results Confirmation dialog. Click Yes to continue.
Now it is time to print:
On the RISA toolbar, click Print .

Click Print a Report Instead.
The Report Printing dialog box will display. As demonstrated below, you can select a standard report (by
making a selection from the Report Name list) or you can build your own customized report (by making
selections from all the available criteria).
In the Report Name list, select All Output (Env).
Notice that when you make this selection, items under Report Sections move from the Available Report
Sections column to the Sections in Current Report column. Before you print, go ahead and remove a
few items from the report.
Under Report Sections, in the Sections in Current Report list, double-click the following sections
to move them back to the left column:
Env Joint Deflections
Env Story Drift, X Service
Env Story Drift, X Strength
Env Story Drift, Z Service
Env Story Drift, Z Strength
Env Member Forces
Env Member Stresses
Env Member Torsion
Env Member Deflections Service
Env Member Deflections Strength
Env Plate Stresses
Env Plate Forces
Env Plate Corner Forces
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Print your customized report:

Click the Print button (at the bottom of the Report Printing dialog box). The Print dialog box will
display. Click OK.
Click Close to close the Report Printing dialog box.
This concludes Tutorial 4. The next tutorial demonstrates how to solve a dynamic analysis of the model.
Note: The Tutorial 5 starter file contains additional load combinations that were not created as part of
Tutorial 3 or 4. You will use these additional load combinations to explore the dynamic solution. Exit the
file without saving.
On the File menu, click Exit.
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Tutorial 5 – Dynamic Analysis

In this tutorial, you will perform a dynamic solution on the model you updated in the last tutorial. Make
sure you start off correctly by opening the file mentioned next.
Note: The Tutorial 5 starter file contains additional load combinations that were not created as part of
Tutorial 3 or 4. You will use these additional load combinations to explore the dynamic solution.
Follow the steps below to load the starter file for this tutorial:
Click Open Model .

toolbar.
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Dynamic Solution
In addition to static solutions, RISA-3D can also perform a dynamic analysis to calculate the modes and
frequencies of your model. This then can be used in a response spectra analysis which uses the
frequencies to calculate forces, stresses, and deflections in your model.
On the RISA toolbar, click Solve .

Click Dynamics (Eigensolution/Response Spectra), then click Solve.
The Dynamics dialog box will display, with several options.
For the Eigensolution options, simply specify

how many modes you want calculated, and
which load combination should be used for
mass calculation.
For a detailed description of all available

options, refer to the Help sections on Dynamic
Analysis and Response Spectra Analysis. Not
all features are covered in this tutorial.
Now, using the Eigensolution options, solve for three modes using load combination 1 to calculate mass.
In the Eigensolution section, in the Load Combination for Mass list, select 1: IBC 16-8.
Click Start Solution and the dynamic solution will begin.
The term “dynamic analysis” typically means the analysis of a model for dynamic loading, including the
calculation of stresses and displacements. For RISA-3D, the analysis of a model for dynamic effects is
considered to be composed of two parts: the dynamic analysis and the response spectra analysis.
The dynamic analysis you are performing now refers to the calculation of the modes and frequencies of
vibration for the model. The response spectra analysis uses these modes to calculate forces, stresses,
and deflections in the model.
Once the dynamic analysis is complete, the Frequencies and Participation spreadsheet will display.
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Frequencies and Mode Shapes

This spreadsheet lists the frequencies and periods calculated for the model. The last three columns are
the modal participation percentages.
You can also review the mode shapes graphically. Set up your screen a bit differently to look at the
mode shapes.
Click Close to close the Results toolbar.
Now change to an isometric view:
On the Window toolbar, click Isometric , then click Model Display Options .
The Model Display Options dialog box will appear.
Click the Joints tab. Click to clear the Show Joints check box.
Click the Deflection tab. Under Show Deflected Shape For, click Mode Shape. Then, click the
Animate ALL the Mode Shapes button. A message will display alerting you that this may take a
while (however, it should not for just three modes). Click Yes.
Three different progress bars will display, one after the other, as the three different animations are
being built. After the animations are built, the progress bars no longer display.
Click OK to close the Model Display Options dialog box.
On the Window menu, click Tile Horizontal.
When you have finished viewing the animations, change to a single view:
On the Window menu, select Single View.
135
Response Spectra Analysis

Solve the model again, this time for Response Spectra Analysis results:
Click Solve .
Once again, select Dynamics (Eigensolution/Response Spectra), then click Solve.
The Dynamics dialog box will appear.
Begin defining the solution. Specify the current combination method and damping ratio:
In the Eigensolution section, in the Number of Modes list, type 85.
In the Response Spectra Analysis section, in the Combination Method list, select CQC. In the
Damping Ratio (%) box, type 5.
For this RISA-3D analysis, you will use the ASCE 2010, Parametric Design Spectra. See Figure 11.4-1 in
the ASCE 7-10 for the equations used to build the spectra.
Select the X Direction Analysis? check box. Then, in the Spectra to be Used box, select ASCE
2010, Parametric Design Spectra. Then, select the Use Dominant Mode for Signage? check box.
This specifies that RISA-3D automatically detect and use the dominant mode for signage.
Select the Z Direction Analysis? check box. In the Spectra to be Used box, select ASCE 2010,
Parametric Design Spectra. Then, select the Use Dominant Mode for Signage? check box.
In the Response Spectra Analysis section,

each direction offers multiple analysis
options. The first field is a list of the available
spectra in the RISA-3D spectra library.
The Combination Method option gives

you control over how the individual
modal results will be combined together.
Most building codes require you to use
the CQC method of combination.
The Use Dominant Mode for Signage

option uses the sign convention of the
dominant mode to set the sign convention
of all other modes. This can help avoid
confusion when comparing dynamics
results or when viewing the deflected
shape.
For a detailed description of all available

options, refer to the Help sections on
Dynamic Analysis and Response Spectra
Analysis. Not all features are covered in this
tutorial.
136
You have specified the spectra to be applied in the X and Z directions, and use the dominant mode for
results signs. You can now start the solution:
Click the Start Solution button.
When this solution is complete, this Frequencies and Participation spreadsheet will display with mass
participation percentages in the SX Participation and SZ Participation columns.
Modal Participation
The modal participation percentages are now recorded for the X and Z directions and summed at the
bottom of the spreadsheet.
Note: Make sure the participation for each direction totals to 90% or more! For this model, you have
met these criteria, but if you are running a model where the participation total is less than 90%, you
must return to the dynamics dialog box, increase the number of modes and rerun the dynamic solution
and also the RSA.
The final step is to include these RSA results with the static loads in a set of load combinations to obtain
the final, overall model solution.
Scaling Factors
Next, you will explore the calculation of the spectra scaling factors. The actual procedure will not be
detailed here--only a quick overview (for a detailed example of the procedure, search the Help index
using the keywords Scaling Factor, then select Dynamic Analysis- Response Spectra - RSA Scaling Factor).
The following overview of the procedure is based on the requirements in Chapter 12 of the ASCE 7-10. If
you are not familiar with these requirements, or if you use another building code, refer to the code you
will be using to understand the basis for the procedure.
There are two reasons for having to calculate scaling factors: First, if a “normalized” spectra was used to
calculate the spectral results, you must scale the normalized results to match your site-specific and
structure-specific criteria. Second, the ASCE sets minimum values for the Seismic Response Coeffiecient,
Cs, which limits the value of the design base shear.
In summary, what has to be done is:
• Calculate the static design base shear (V).
• Obtain the un-scaled RSA Elastic Response base shear.
• Scale the RSA base shear such that the program-calculated value matches that calculated per
the ASCE 7-10 hand-calculation methods.
Note: Remember that you can get the details for the scaling factor calculation from the Help file as
described above.
RISA-3D has a feature that will automatically calculate the Equivalent Lateral Force Base Shear and scale
your RSA results to match. This feature is described in the next section.
137
Load Combinations with RSA Results

These scale factors will now be applied to your spectral results so you can combine them with your
static results. To see how this is done, return to the Load Combinations spreadsheet:
On the Spreadsheets menu, select Load Combinations.
Notice the spreadsheet has some additional load combinations not seen in the previous tutorials. These
have been entered as examples to demonstrate how to apply the RSA results to your load combinations:
Notice on the last two lines, the spectra analysis results (SX and SZ) have been combined with the
combination of loads previously defined in Load Combination 2 (L2).
Using 100% dynamic response in one direction with 30% in the other direction is a common way of
accounting for directional effects from RSA’s in two directions at the same time. An alternative to this
method is an SRSS combination, which is discussed in more detail in RISA-3D General Reference.
The only problem is that the SX and SZ entries reflect the full unscaled spectra results. Therefore, you
must scale them down using the SFX and SFZ scaling factors that you calculated in the previous section.
On the Window toolbar, click the Spectra Scaling Factor button .

The Spectra Scaling Factor dialog box will display:
138
Now, have RISA-3D calculate the base shear values and scale the RSA results to match.
In the Base Shears section, on the Static Base Shear row, click Calculate.
The Seismic Loads dialog box will display.
In the Seismic Weight LC list, select 1: IBC 16-8 and click Calc Loads.
RISA-3D will calculate the static base shear based on the ASCE 7-10 code. The Seismic Loads dialog box
should look like this:
Click OK to return to the Spectra Scaling Factor dialog box.

In the Base Shears section, on the Unscaled Base Shear row, click Calculate.
RISA-3D has now calculated the unscaled base shear and you are ready to scale the RSA results to match
the Unscaled Base Shear and Static Base Shear.
Under Scaling Factor, click Program Calculated.
Enter Base Shear Multipliers of 0.85 in both the X and Z directions.
Then, in the same area, click Calculate.
Once you have completed the calculations, apply the scaling factors to current load combinations:
Select the Apply SF to Current RSA Load Combinations check box.
139
The Spectra Scaling Factor dialog box should look like this:
Click OK.
Review the load combinations below and see how the SF scale factors allow the RSA load combinations
to more closely reflect the code required load combinations.
Now that you have added the dynamic results to your load combinations, you may run a solution that
includes them.
On the Window toolbar, click Solve Batch + Envelope.
When the solution is complete, click through the results spreadsheet to review your results.
You are now finished with Tutorial 5. If you want more practice, you can go back and increase member
sizes, rerun the dynamics, solve different load combinations, or experiment with the plot in any way you
like.
To exit RISA-3D, on the File menu, select Exit.
140
Tutorial 6 - Interoperability
Tutorial 6 – Interoperability
RISA-3D has several options for importing or exporting projects to and from other industry software.
This tutorial will introduce you to several of those options and explore how to make these options assist
your modeling.
RISA-Revit Structure Link

Because the RISA-Revit link is a bi-directional exchange link, new models can be created in either RISA-
3D or Revit Structure and edited in either program. The model will update in both programs as you
move between the two during your design process.
Start by exploring the BIM exchange file export options from RISA-3D to Revit Structure. If you do not
have the RISA-Revit link, you may download it at no cost from our website. Below are instructions on
how to install the link.
Exit RISA-3D, and download the RISA-Revit link:
Click Close to exit RISA-3D if you have it open.
Go to http://www.risa.com/partners/prt_revit.html, click Downloads, and then select the RISA-
Revit version you want to download.
Download and install the link.
Follow the steps below to load the RISA-3D starter file for this tutorial:
On the File menu, click Open . Double-click the Tutorials folder. Select Tutorial 6 Starter.r3d
and click Open. Click Close (or Cancel) to exit the Model Settings dialog box.
Solve the model and save:
Click Solve to solve the model.
Select a Batch Solution.
Your model should look like the following image:
141
On the File menu, click Save As and enter a new file name.
On the File menu, click Export, then select Revit (2017 and older) Exchange File, and designate
a name for your exchange file.
On the File menu, click Exit to close RISA-3D.
Next, open Revit Structure and import this exchange file:
Open a new file in Revit Structure.
On the Main menu, click Save, and specify Tutorial_6.rvt as the file name.
Note: This tutorial is based on the RISA interface with Revit Structure 2017, which is very similar to the
older versions of the link. The process for interface with Revit Structure 2018 combines the exchange file
with the model file, which can be directly opened in Revit without creating an exchange file.
Open a 3D Analytical view.
On the Main menu, click Add-Ins, and select Import from RISA.
Click RISA-3D, and then click Browse to locate the Autodesk exchange file (.exc), as shown
below.
142
Once in Revit Structure, you can modify your model and then export back to RISA-3D. Because of its
two-way functionality, you can modify the model in either program and the other will recognize the
updates.
This was just a basic description of the RISA-Revit Link export option. For more information, download
the documentation from the RISA website specific to the link and how to use it.
Go to the RISA website: http://www.risa.com/partners/prt_revit.html, click Downloads, under RISA-

Revit Link Documentation, select a document to download, either RISA-Revit Link Documentation or
RISA-Revit Quick Tips.
CIS/2 Translator
The RISA CIS/2 Translator is a tool for importing or exporting data from RISA to the CIM steel part 21 file
format. You may download this translator at no cost from the RISA website.
To download and install the translator:
Click Close to exit RISA-3D if you have it open.
To download the translator, go to http://www.risa.com/products.html, click RISA CIS/2
Translator.
Install the translator.
To open the RISA CIS/2 Translator:
On the Start Menu, select All Programs, click RISA, and then click RISA CIS/2 Translator. A
dialog box will display.
Enter the following information to match the image below:
143
Run the export:

Click RUN.
The .stp file is now available to import into your steel detailing software.
This was a very basic description of the CIS/2 Translator. For more detailed information on the translator
and how to use it, refer to the RISA CIS/2 Translator General Reference, available for download from the
RISA website: http://www.risa.com/d_documentation.html.
RISA-3D & CAD

RISA-3D offers a DXF import/export feature that provides two-way compatibility with any other program
that can read and write DXF files--this includes most major CAD programs and many analysis programs.
With this feature, RISA-3D produces CAD-quality drawings that include your beam sizes, camber, stud
layout, end reactions, etc.
Follow the steps below to load the RISA-3D starter file:
On the File menu, click Open . Double-click the Tutorials folder. Select Tutorial 6 Starter.r3d
and click Open. Click Close (or Cancel) to exit the Model Settings dialog box.
Solve the model and save:
Click Solve to solve the model.
Select a Batch solution.
Your model should look like the following image:
144
On the File menu, click Save As and enter a new file name.
On the Main menu, click File, click Export, and select DXF File.
Enter the file name Tutorial 6.dxf and click Save. The Export DXF File dialog box will display.
Enter the information shown below and click OK.
You should be able to open this DXF file with any standard drafting package. It will include simple model
geometry to assist you with your drafting.
Similarly, you can import a DXF file into RISA-3D for analysis.
On the RISA toolbar, click New Model to create a new model.
Because you want to import geometry rather than start from scratch, click Close to exit the
Starting a Model dialog box.
On the File menu, click Import, then select DXF File.
Select the tutorial file you recently exported and saved.
The Import DXF File dialog box will open.
Click OK. This will now create the model from the imported DXF file.
145
Conclusion
Conclusion
Congratulations on completing your introductory tour of RISA-3D! The time you invested in performing
these tutorials is time well spent. We are confident that the knowledge gained by taking the time to step
through these tutorials will increase your productivity, and allow you to complete future projects more
quickly and efficiently.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact us by phone at (800) 332-7472 or email at
info@risa.com.
146
Appendix A – RISA-3D Toolbar Buttons

RISA Toolbar
Button Title Label in RISA-3D Shortcut
New Model Start a new model (CTRL+N)

Start a new model
Open Model Reload a previously saved

Open an existing model model
Save Save the current model (CTRL+S)

Save current model
Copy Copy to the clipboard (Ctrl+C)
Copy to the clipboard
Print Print a report or graphic image (Ctrl+P)

Print a report or graphic image
Undo Undo the last operation (Ctrl+Z)
Undo the last operation
Redo Reverse the most recent undo (Ctrl+Y)
Reverse the most recent undo operation
operation
Set Model Settings Set Model Settings
Define Units Define units to be used

Define units to be used
Shape Database Edit the Shape Database

Edit the shape database
Moving Load Patterns View/edit the moving load

View/edit the moving load patterns
patterns
Response Spectra Library Edit the response spectra

Edit the response spectra library library
Time History Function Library Edit the time history function

Edit the time history function library
library
147
Rebar Layout Create and edit a rebar layout

Create and edit a rebar layout
Project Grid Project grid spreadsheet

Open project grid spreadsheet
High Level Generation Perform High Level Generation

operations
New Model View Create a new model view

Create a new model view
Open Spreadsheets Select spreadsheets to open

Select spreadsheets to open
Refresh Refresh all windows with the

Refresh all windows with current most current data
data
Basic Load Case Open the Basic Load Case (BLC)

Open the basic load case spreadsheet
spreadsheet
Load Combinations Load combinations

Open the load combinations spreadsheet
spreadsheet
Solve Perform the analysis and

Perform the analysis and design design calculations
calculations
Browse Results Select results to browse

Select results to browse
Erase Results Erase all solution results

Erase all solution results
Data Entry toolbar Turn the spreadsheet shortcuts

Turn the spreadsheet shortcuts window off or on
window on or off
Results toolbar Turn the results shortcuts

Turn the results shortcuts window window off or on
on or off
Help View Help topics

View help topics
Tiling Tile Window Options
148
Window Toolbar
…in Model View
Model Display Options Bring up the Model Display F2

Display model display options Options dialog
Rotate buttons Rotate the view counter-

clockwise about the X axis
Rotate the view clockwise
about the X axis
Rotate the view counter-
clockwise about the Y axis
about the Y axis
Rotate the view counter-
clockwise about the Z axis
about the Z axis
View buttons
Isometric Snap to an Isometric View
Display an isometric view
XY Plan Snap to an XY Planar View
Display an XY planar view
XZ Plan Snap to an XZ Planar View
Display an XZ planar view
YZ Plan Snap to an YZ Planar View
Display a YZ planar view
3 buttons below are collectively
called Zoom buttons
Zoom In Zoom IN (closer view) on PLUS (+)

the model (+)
Zoom Out Zoom OUT (view farther MINUS (-)

away) on the model (-)
Box Zoom Draw a box around the part

of the model to be zoomed
149
Redraw Redraw full model view

Redraw full model view
Graphic Editing Activate the Graphic Ctrl+G

Activate the graphic editing (or Editing toolbar
drawing) toolbar
Save or Recall View Save or recall view states

Save or recall view states
Clone View Clone (make an exact copy

Make an exact copy of current of) the current model view
model view
3 buttons below collectively refer
to Loads Display
Display Loads Toggle display of the loads

Toggle display of the loads (LC or (LC or CAT)
CAT)
Loads List – lists the available
loads
Switch Loads Switch loads display

Switch loads display (combinations between combinations and
or categories) categories
Rendering Toggle between wireframe

Toggle between wireframe and and rendering of beams
rendering of beams and plates and plates
Joint Labels Toggle the joint labels

Joint labels toggle
Boundary Conditions Toggle display of the

Toggle display of the boundary boundary conditions
conditions
Member Labels Toggle the member labels
Member labels toggle
Member Color Basis Toggle display of member
color coding
Toggle display of member color
coding
I End-J End Toggle display of member I

Toggle display of member I end, J end, J end representation
end representation
150
Show Member Results Toggle display of member

results (only available after
Toggle display of member results solution)
(only available after solution)
Wall Panel Label Toggle display of wall panel

labeling options
Toggle display of wall panel
labeling options
Diaphragm Display Toggle display of the

Toggle display of the diaphragms diaphragms
Show Deflection Diagram Toggle display of deflection

diagram
Toggle display of deflection
diagram
Distance Tool Initializes the Distance tool F5

which can be used to
Initializes the Distance tool which measure the distance
can be used to measure the between two nodes (see
distance between two nodes the Status bar for the
distance result)
…in Spreadsheet View
New Line Insert a new line before the F3

Insert a new line before the current line
current line
Delete Line Delete the current line F4

Delete the current line
Repeat Line Repeat the current line F8

Repeat the current line
Sort Sort based on values in the F9

current column
Find Find an item in the current F5

spreadsheet
Fill Fill the currently marked Ctrl+F

Fill the currently marked block
block
151
Math Perform math on the Ctrl+M

Perform math on the currently marked block
currently marked block
Mark Lines Mark all the lines

Mark all the lines
Delete Lines Delete the currently marked Ctrl+D

Delete the currently marked lines
lines
Unmark Lines UnMark all the lines Ctrl+L

Unmark all the lines
Select Marked Lines Select all marked lines
Select all marked lines
Unselect Marked Lines Unselect all marked lines
Unselect all marked lines
Paste Paste from the clipboard Ctrl+V
Paste from the clipboard
Save As Default Save the current data as the

Save the current data as the default
default
Help Help for the current SHIFT+F1

Help on the current window window
These additional buttons appear after results are generated
Replace and Resolve Only available while in the

Replace current shapes and Suggested Shapes
then solve again spreadsheet - Replace
current shapes and then
solve again
Exclude After Available in most Results

Exclude all results after the spreadsheets - Exclude all
current item results after the current
item
Unexclude Available in most Results

Un-Exclude all previously spreadsheets - Un-Exclude
excluded results all previously excluded
results
152
Drawing Toolbar
Draw New Members Draw new members
Draw New Plates Draw new plates
Draw New Wall Panels Draw new wall panels
Draw New Solids Draw new solids
Modify Boundary Conditions Modify boundary conditions
Joint Loads or Moments Apply joint loads or

Apply joint loads or moments to moments to joints
joints
Distributed Loads Apply distributed loads to
Apply distributed loads to members members
Point Loads or Moments Apply point loads or
Apply point loads or moments to moments to members
members
Moving Point Loads Apply moving point load to

Apply moving point load to member
member
Member Area Loads Apply member area loads
Apply member area loads
Surface Loads to Plates Apply surface loads to

Apply surface loads to plates plates
Surface Loads to Wall Panels Apply surface loads to wall

Apply surface loads to wall panels panels
Project Grid Lines Generate Projact Grid Lines

Generate Projact Grid Lines
Linear Translation Move Move via linear translation

Move via linear translation the the currently selected part
currently selected part of the model
Rotational Move Move via rotation the

Move via rotation the currently currently selected part of
selected part the model
153
Scale Factor Move Move via a scaling factor

Move via a scaling factor the the locations for the
locations for the currently selected currently selected joints
joints.
Linear Offset Copy Make copies of the

Copy the currently selected part currently selected part of
using linear offsets the model using linear
offsets
Rotational Offset Copy Make copies of the

Copy the currently selected part currently selected part of
using rotational offset the model using rotational
offset
Mirror Image Copy Make a mirror image copy

Mirror image copy of the selected of the currently selected
part part of the model
Model Merge Perform a model merge on

Perform a model merge on all or all or part of the model
part of the model
Trim Trim the member

Trim the member
Extend Extend the member
Extend the member
Delete Delete parts of the model

Delete parts of the model
Modify Drawing Grid Modify the drawing grid

Modify the drawing grid and snap and snap points
points
Drawing Grid Toggle the drawing grid on

Toggle the drawing grid on or off or off
Universal Snap Points Toggle the universal snap

Toggle the universal snap points on points on or off
or off
154
Selection Toolbar
Select All Make the entire model CTRL+A

Select the entire model selected
Box Select Draw a box around the

Draw a box around the part to part of the model to be
be selected selected
Polygon Select Draw a polygon around

Draw a polygon around the part the part to be selected
to be selected (double click to (double click to end)
end)
Line Select Draw a line through the

Draw a line through the beams beams and plates to be
and plates to be selected selected
Unselect All Make the entire model Ctrl+U

Unselect the entire model UNselected
Box Unselect Draw a box around the

Draw a box around the part to part of the model to be
be unselected UNselected
Polygon Unselect Draw a polygon around

Draw a polygon around the part the part to be unselected
to be unselected (double click (double click to end)
to end)
Line Unselect Draw a line through the

Draw a line through the beams beams and plates to be
and plates to be unselected UNselected
Invert Selected Invert the selected state Ctrl+I

Invert the selected areas of the of the model
model
Criteria Selection Select or unselect based

Select or unselect based on on other criteria
other criteria
Save/Recall Selection Save or recall selection

Save or recall selections of the states for the model
model
155
Lock Unselected Lock the unselected part Ctrl+L

Lock the unselected parts of the of the model
model
Unlock Unselected Unlock the unselected Ctrl+L
Unlock the unselected parts of part of the model
the model
156

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RISA-3D

Rapid Interactive Structural Analysis – 3-Dimensional

RISA Tech, Inc.

Where to Download RISA-3D Book Updates

Using the Online Help

Technical Support Information

Before You Begin

Solving the Model and Tips for Reviewing Results

RISA-3D Customization--Important Assumption!

First Look at RISA-3D

The RISA-3D Windows and Dialog Boxes

Title Bar Main Menu RISA Toolbar Minimize Maximize/Restore Close

Status Bar Workspace Data Entry Toolbar

Scroll bar – to view information

Managing Model Views

Starting a Model Options

Automatically Generating with Templates

Create a New Model

Select Click here to immediately start drawing members .

Type any notes you would like

(Global) Model Settings are

Set (Global) Model Settings

Below is a description of all the available Solution parameters:

Review the options for the Code parameters:

These settings control how code checking is performed, as described below:

Review and modify the options for the Concrete parameters:

Click the Help button to open

Review and modify the options for the Seismic parameters:

This tab contains options that are

You may now close the Model Settings dialog box.

The dialog box should now look like this:

The Release Codes selection

You may now begin drawing columns.

The dialog should now look like this:

Coordinates of the current grid

As you continue the tutorial,

To release the mouse:

To undo any mistakes:

On the Window toolbar, click Model Display Options .

Click OK to close the dialog box and return to the plot.

On the Drawing toolbar, click the Draw New Members button .

Click Apply to return to the model view and resume drawing.

Draw the truss chord, as shown on the image above:

Press the right

The dialog box now looks like this:

Exit the dialog box:

Draw members from points A to B, B to C, C to D, D to E, then lastly from E to F.

Choose a new starting point for the next series of members.

Draw the next series of members, as shown above.

The image should now look like this:

Notice the tabs contain the

Design Rules – Size / UC

Enter the following data in row 1:

Design Rules – Concrete Rebar

Change the maximum bar size for Conc-Bms:

Change the Max Flex Bars entry to a #9 bar. Click OK.

When finished, your spreadsheet should look like this:

Section Sets Spreadsheet